day care

[ dey kair ]

noun

1. supervised daytime care for preschool children, the elderly, or those with chronic disabilities, usually provided at a center outside the home:

   Finding quality day care that we can afford has been challenging.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or providing day care:

   daycare center;

   day-care program.

Word History and Origins

Origin of day care¹

First recorded in 1895–1900 for noun, and 1940–45 for adjective

Example Sentences

The District paid these subsidies through much of the pandemic even if facilities were closed, but stopped paying them in November for students who were not enrolled in a day care — a move that pushed more child care facilities to reopen.

From Washington Post

In the short term of the first quarter of the year, I expect to see more women exiting the workforce, especially if schools remain closed and day cares remain closed.

From Fortune

The legislation also offered an additional 10 weeks of paid leave to parents affected by school or day care closures.

From Vox

My husband, at his organization, they have a day care for us as well.

From Fortune

Many day care centers are closed, and of those that are open, some require even pre-school kids to wear masks.

From Quartz

Amy wanted to open a day-care center when she grew up and to have eight kids of her own.

From The Daily Beast

In 1985, Michaels was arrested on the testimony of children at a New Jersey day-care center where she had worked.

From The Daily Beast

When two people have to work late, who will meet that inflexible day-care pickup time?

From The Daily Beast

What Pelosi calls “my real epiphany” occurred when she visited a day-care center in San Francisco.

From The Daily Beast

They got married in 1976 and her father worked as a contractor while her mother ran a day-care center and later became a teacher.

From The Daily Beast

And their talk was of Christine, of her love and patience, and her night-and-day care.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• child care
• daycare
• nursery
• nursery school
• preschool