As number of licensed child care centers declines in Alabama, nonprofits work to reverse the trend

This year could be the year that the number of unlicensed, unregulated daycare centers surpasses the number of licensed centers in Alabama.

By October 2016, there were 998 licensed and 943 license-exempt child care centers in Alabama, according to Alabama DHR. The number of licensed centers has been steadily declining since the year 2000 as the number of centers claiming a religious exemption continues to rise.