How Much Does Daycare Cost? Average Prices by State and Age

9 ways to pay less for daycare

Start with what you may qualify for by income (subsidies, Head Start, free pre-K), then add the tax breaks most working parents can use. Each links to its official page; rules are as of October 2026.

1. 1

   Child care assistance (CCDF subsidies)

   Every state

   Cost

   A copay set by your state

   Ages

   Under 13

   Good for Working families with low or moderate incomes

   Every state uses federal Child Care and Development Fund money to help families pay for care while parents work, go to school or train. Federal rules let states help families earning up to 85% of the state median income, but many set the bar lower: in early 2025, Georgia’s limit for a family of three was 50% of its median and California’s was 85%. You choose a provider that takes the subsidy and pay a copay. Some states, such as Indiana, have waitlists. Apply through your state’s child care agency.

   • Up to 85% of state median income
   • Child under 13
   • Parents working, in school or training
   • Apply through your state

   childcare.gov (opens their site)

2. 2

   Head Start and Early Head Start

   Every state

   Cost

   Free

   Ages

   Pregnancy to age 5

   Good for Families at or near the poverty line

   Head Start (ages 3 to 5) and Early Head Start (pregnancy to age 3) are free for families who qualify. A child is eligible if the family’s income is at or below the federal poverty line, the family receives public assistance such as TANF, or the child is homeless or in foster care. Programs may also fill some places with families earning up to 130% of the poverty line, and a few with families above that. Find programs near you with the Head Start Center Locator and apply to the program directly.

   • Free
   • Income at or below the poverty line
   • Public assistance, homeless or foster care
   • Apply to the program directly

   headstart.gov (opens their site)

3. 3

   Free public pre-K and transitional kindergarten

   Varies by state

   Cost

   Free or low cost

   Ages

   3 to 5

   Good for 3- and 4-year-olds

   Many states pay for pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds at low or no cost, part-day or full-day, and nearly 1.8 million children attended state-funded preschool in 2024–25. Who gets a seat varies. Georgia runs a universal pre-K program for 4-year-olds, and California’s transitional kindergarten is free in public schools for every child who turns 4 by September 1. Elsewhere, seats may be limited or based on income. Ask your school district and your state’s early learning agency.

   • Ages 3 to 5
   • Often free
   • Through schools and state agencies
   • Rules and seats vary by state

   nieer.org (opens their site)

4. 4

   Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

   Federal tax return

   Cost

   20% to 50% of up to $3,000 (one child) or $6,000 of costs

   Ages

   Under 13

   Good for Working parents who pay for care

   If you pay for care so you (and your spouse) can work or look for work, you can claim part of it on Form 2441: up to $3,000 of costs for one child under 13, or $6,000 for two or more. From the 2026 tax year, the credit is 50% of those costs at incomes up to $15,000, 35% from about $43,000 to $75,000 ($150,000 on a joint return), and falls to 20% above about $103,000 ($206,000 joint). It lowers your tax but isn’t paid out as a refund. You’ll list your provider on the return.

   • 50% at incomes up to $15,000
   • 35% from about $43,000 to $75,000 single
   • 20% above about $103,000 single
   • Claim on Form 2441

   irs.gov (opens their site)

5. 5

   Dependent care FSA

   Through your employer

   Cost

   Up to $7,500 a year, before tax, from 2026

   Good for Parents whose employer offers one

   A dependent care flexible spending account lets you pay for child care with money set aside from your paycheck before income and payroll taxes. Starting in 2026, the limit is $7,500 a household ($3,750 if married filing separately), up from $5,000; the 2025 tax law set it, and it isn’t indexed for inflation. Your employer’s plan decides what you can elect, so ask HR whether it raised its limit. FSA money can’t also count toward the tax credit: put the full $7,500 through an FSA and the credit’s $3,000 or $6,000 limit drops to zero.

   • $7,500 per household from 2026
   • $3,750 if married filing separately
   • Ask HR about your plan’s limit
   • Lowers the tax credit’s expense limit

   law.cornell.edu (opens their site)

6. 6

   Employer and campus child care benefits

   Varies by employer

   Good for Parents at larger employers or colleges

   Some employers run on-site child care or pay for discounts at partner centers, and some colleges offer campus child care with discounts for students and staff. Bright Horizons, for one, sells employers a benefit that gives their workers 20% off tuition at its centers plus priority enrollment, along with Back-Up Care that workers reserve when they need it. KinderCare says an employer may cover part or all of tuition. Ask HR what you have, and ask providers about sibling discounts and scholarships.

   • Ask HR first
   • On-site or partner centers
   • Backup care
   • Sibling discounts and scholarships

   childcare.gov (opens their site)

7. 7

   Military child care fee assistance

   Nationwide

   Cost

   On base: a sliding fee by family income

   Good for Active-duty families

   Military-run child care programs charge on a sliding scale by family income; request a spot through MilitaryChildCare.com. If on-base care is out of reach because of distance or a waitlist, active-duty service members, including reservists on active orders, may qualify for fee assistance at a civilian provider through Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood, with programs for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Child Care Aware of America runs the Army and Navy programs.

   • Apply at MilitaryChildCare.com
   • Reservists on active orders qualify
   • Civilian care if there’s no base spot

   public.militarychildcare.csd.disa.mil (opens their site)

8. 8

   Licensed family child care homes

   Every state

   Cost

   Infant: $11,673 a year on average (2025)

   Good for Families who want a smaller setting for less

   A family child care home is care in the provider’s own home, licensed or registered by the state. It’s often the cheaper choice: across states, a year of infant care in a home averaged $11,673 in 2025, against $15,636 in a center, and $10,572 against $12,555 for a 4-year-old. Ask what happens on days the provider is sick or on vacation, and check the license before you sign up (how to check a daycare’s license).

   • About 25% less than a center for infants
   • Licensed by the state
   • Ask about closure days

   info.childcareaware.org (opens their site)

9. 9

   Parent co-op preschools

   Some communities

   Good for Parents with time to help in the classroom

   In a cooperative preschool, parents help run the school and take turns in the classroom alongside a teacher, and that shared work typically keeps tuition lower than at similar preschools. Parent Cooperative Preschools International keeps a directory of member schools. Ask each co-op what it charges, how many hours a month it expects from parents, and whether it runs full days or only part of the day.

   • Parents work in the classroom
   • Directory at preschools.coop
   • Ask about hours required

   preschools.coop (opens their site)

Average daycare cost by state

Child Care Aware of America asks each state’s child care resource and referral agencies (or uses state market rate surveys) for the average yearly price of full-time licensed care. These are its 2025 prices, published in May 2026 in Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply. Infant care in a center costs most in Massachusetts ($27,067), Hawaii ($25,096), Washington ($23,136) and California ($23,071), and least in Mississippi ($6,492) and in Alabama and South Dakota (both $8,859).

Divided by 12, Massachusetts’ $27,067 is about $2,256 a month for an infant, and Mississippi’s $6,492 about $541. State averages hide big gaps between cities and rural counties. For your own county, the US Department of Labor’s National Database of Childcare Prices gives median prices by county, child’s age and type of care. Its latest figures are for 2022, when a year of full-day care for one child ranged from $6,552 to $15,600 depending on age, setting and county size.

Daycare cost by age: infant, toddler and preschool

Infant rooms need more adults per child, so infant care costs the most and the price falls as children get older. Home daycares (licensed family child care homes) cost less than centers at every age.

Child Care Aware’s national average of $13,184 blends ages, settings and three ways of weighting the states; it rose from $13,128 in 2024. It equals 10% of the median income of a married couple with children and 33% of a single parent’s. From 2021 to 2025, child care prices rose 23%, close to overall inflation (24%).

Part-day preschool usually costs less than these full-time prices, and public options can be free: see state pre-K, transitional kindergarten and Head Start in the list above.

Nanny vs daycare cost, and in-home care rates per hour

For one child, a nanny costs far more than daycare. Care.com’s 2026 Cost of Care Report averages the rates families and centers post on its site, so its daycare figure runs higher than Child Care Aware’s state survey averages.

The gap narrows with more children: Care.com puts a nanny for two toddlers at $952 a week, against $585 for two at a daycare center. If you hire a nanny, you’re usually their employer, which means payroll taxes and paperwork; the IRS’s Household Employer’s Tax Guide explains them.

What Primrose, Goddard, Bright Horizons and KinderCare cost

National chains rarely post one price, because each center or franchise sets tuition by age, schedule and location. Here’s what each one’s own pages said in October 2026:

• Primrose Schools: tuition is set by each independently owned school, and several post a weekly range on their own Tuition page. Primrose School of Hilliard at Mill Run, Ohio, lists $338–$450 a week for infants and $281–$375 for pre-K, with meals, diapers and wipes included.
• The Goddard School: no prices online. Rates depend on your child’s age, program and schedule, and the local school gives you a rate when you tour.
• Bright Horizons: no prices online. Its center pages say tuition varies by center, schedule and classroom, and ask you to contact the center. Workers whose employers buy its tuition benefit get 20% off.
• KinderCare: no prices online. Tuition depends on location, your child’s age and how many days you need; its Family Support line (888-525-2780) gives quotes.

• What’s included: meals, snacks, diapers, wipes, supplies?
• Registration, supply and deposit fees, and whether they’re refundable
• Do you pay for holidays, closures and your own vacation weeks?
• Sibling, employer and military discounts
• Does it take your state’s child care subsidy?
• How often tuition goes up, and by how much last time

Questions parents ask