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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Minnesota

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $211 a week for a baby and $182 for a preschooler in the middle Minnesota county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
181
towns
71
towns have their own affordable daycare page
25
of all Minnesota daycares
2%

Map of Minnesota: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed

Accepts assistance
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record says it accepts child care subsidies, or it says it accepts child care assistance or vouchers.The Minnesota license list we load does not record subsidies, so here this list has daycares that say they accept child care assistance.Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Cost and help paying

What daycare costs in Minnesota, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Minnesota county (2022)
$211
The median of 87 county medians, from $167 in the lowest county to $431 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Minnesota county (2022)
$182
The median of 87 county medians, from $139 in the lowest county to $337 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Minnesota
181
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
How to apply: Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)Head Start in MinnesotaDaycare cost in Minnesota, by age and county

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Minnesota

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Minnesota

Minneapolis20 accept assistanceSaint Paul13 accept assistanceBloomington6 accept assistancePlymouth6 accept assistanceApple Valley5 accept assistanceLakeville5 accept assistanceMaple Grove5 accept assistanceWoodbury5 accept assistanceBlaine4 accept assistanceCoon Rapids4 accept assistanceEden Prairie4 accept assistanceMaplewood4 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Minnesota

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares7,811
Take infants484
Child care centers2,391
Accept subsidy181
In-home daycares5,420
Christian & church daycares274
Montessori schools148
Preschools & pre-K674
Early morning daycare505
Part-time daycare231
Drop-in daycare47
Bilingual daycare66
Head Start181

The Minnesota state record

Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families licenses daycares in Minnesota.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
On some licenses only; elsewhere shown where the daycare gives them
Inspections
On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Search the Minnesota state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Minnesota

  1. 1

    Apply for assistance first

    Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.

  2. 2

    Ask about the copayment

    Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.

  3. 3

    Ask about open subsidy spots

    Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Minnesota

Cost, inspections and ratios in Minnesota

Daycare cost in MinnesotaWeekly prices by age and countyStaff-to-child ratios in MinnesotaHow many children each adult may care forDaycare tour checklistQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 71 Minnesota towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A4 towns
B6 towns
C9 towns
D1 town
E4 towns
F3 towns
G1 town
H1 town
L2 towns
M8 towns
N1 town
O2 towns
P2 towns
R7 towns
S12 towns
T1 town
W6 towns
Z1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

Wisconsin92 accept assistanceIowa33 accept assistanceNorth Dakota19 accept assistanceSouth Dakota698 daycares

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Minnesota

How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in Minnesota?

181 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 71 Minnesota towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Which Minnesota town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?

Minneapolis, with 20 listed. Next are Saint Paul (13) and Bloomington (6).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Minnesota?

Apply through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), run by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, through counties. It is for families with low incomes who are working, going to school, searching for a job or doing employment plan activities, with children 12 or younger (or 13 or 14 with special needs), and who meet the income limits. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.

Is there free daycare?

Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?

Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.

How does child care assistance work?

Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the Minnesota child care assistance office.

Can I get free daycare?

Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Who licenses daycares in Minnesota?

Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families licenses daycares in Minnesota. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.