Charlie Hinton is a marketing executive at a local food company called Ample Foods. He and his wife, Kim, have just enrolled their son Ben into Chapman Academy, an
overly academic preschool overseen by the haughty Gwyneth Harridan. However, on Ben's first day, Charlie, his best friend Phil Ryerson, and at least 300 other employees are laid off when the company shuts down their health division due to the poor reception of their vegetable-flavored
breakfast cereals. Charlie breaks the news to Kim and Ben during dinner that night, but assures them that he will find a new job. While Kim supports the family by returning to work as a lawyer, Charlie, after six weeks of job hunting and finding nothing, is forced by the bank to take Ben out of Chapman. Unable to find a satisfactory alternative around town, Charlie decides to open a daycare center of his own in his home with the help of Phil, calling it "Daddy Day Care". Although local parents are
suspicious of men working with kids, a few choose their service as it is more affordable and
child-based. Charlie and Phil open Daddy Day Care with nine children and struggle with chaos and personal issues. Angered at losing children to the new competition, Harridan attempts to shut them down by notifying
child services. Charlie and Phil find themselves rectifying problems pointed out by Dan Kubitz, a well-meaning child services director, to ensure that Daddy Day Care is suitable for children. Charlie and Phil then hire their former colleague, Marvin, as an additional care provider after Daddy Day Care acquires two more children. In time, they start to enjoy running Daddy Day Care as it grows in popularity, with Charlie delighted to see Ben making friends and enjoying himself. After Daddy Day Care acquires three more children, Kubitz points out that a family home cannot accommodate more than 12 children. He suggests that Daddy Day Care either remove two kids or find a permanent facility elsewhere. Not willing to remove any of the children, Charlie chooses the latter option. Marvin knows about a suitable vacant building, but they cannot afford it, so Daddy Day Care decides to hold a fundraiser to earn the necessary capital. However, Harridan learns about the event and sabotages it with help from her hesitant assistant Jennifer. As a result, Daddy Day Care does not raise enough money to pay for the building. Eventually, the food company offers Charlie and Phil their old jobs back at double their salaries, having decided to rehire them and letting them run an entire division after acting on an earlier idea that Charlie had sarcastically suggested. Harridan also offers to take in their children for a more affordable price if Daddy Day Care shuts down. Charlie and Phil reluctantly accept the offer, leaving Marvin heartbroken and refusing to join them. Ben is also disappointed when Charlie tells him he has to go back to Chapman. The next day at the marketing meeting, Charlie questions his decision after realizing the impact that Daddy Day Care has had on Ben and the other children. Deciding that Ben is the most important thing to him, Charlie quits, convincing Phil to join him and his plans of reopening Daddy Day Care. Informing Marvin of their plans, Charlie confronts Harridan during a
student orientation and tells the parents in attendance how little she cares about their children. After mentioning how much Daddy Day Care changed and helped the children, Charlie declares that Daddy Day Care is reopened and convinces the parents to return. Six months later, Daddy Day Care manages to buy the building it needs to expand and prospers with Charlie and Phil successful, Jennifer now working for the center, and Marvin entering a relationship with one of the moms. With Chapman no more, Harridan is forced to work as a
crossing guard. When one of Harridan's former students, Crispin, gives her a flower, it attracts bees, causing Harridan to wave the stop sign to shoo them away and inadvertently create a traffic jam. ==Cast==