Daycare Cost in Ventura County, CA

Childcare in Ventura County, CA

Ventura County, stretching along the coast northwest of Los Angeles, is home to 850,000 residents in communities ranging from affluent Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village to working-class Oxnard and agricultural Santa Paula. The county's economy is anchored by Amgen's headquarters in Thousand Oaks, the Naval Base Ventura County (Point Mugu and Port Hueneme), agriculture in the Oxnard Plain, and a cluster of biotech and tech firms. Infant care averages around $19,812 per year, reflecting California's high costs but with significant variation between the wealthier eastern communities and the more affordable western and agricultural areas. The county's Latino population, concentrated in Oxnard, Fillmore, and Santa Paula, drives demand for bilingual childcare options.

Finding Care

Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, and Camarillo have the strongest center-based childcare markets, with well-established programs serving suburban professional families. Oxnard, the county's largest city, has a denser but more fragmented childcare landscape, with many family childcare homes serving the agricultural and service-sector workforce. Rural communities in the Santa Clara and Upper Ojai valleys have very limited licensed options. Naval Base Ventura County families can access on-base Child Development Centers, though capacity is limited.

Local Resources

The Ventura County Office of Education operates the local CCR&R, providing referrals and subsidy assistance through CalWORKs and Alternative Payment programs. First 5 Ventura County funds quality improvement, family navigation, and developmental screening programs across the county. Ventura County Head Start and Early Head Start, operated by the Child Development Resources of Ventura County, maintain sites throughout the county with a concentration in Oxnard, Ventura, and the agricultural communities of the Santa Clara Valley.