Skip to content
DaycarePal
Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Nebraska

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $187 a week for a baby and $162 for a preschooler in the middle Nebraska county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the Child Care Subsidy Program, and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
1,559
towns
221
towns have their own affordable daycare page
78
of all Nebraska daycares
59%

Map of Nebraska: 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.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 Nebraska, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Nebraska county (2022)
$187
The median of 93 county medians, from $187 in the lowest county to $244 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Nebraska county (2022)
$162
The median of 93 county medians, from $163 in the lowest county to $205 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Nebraska
44
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
How to apply: Child Care Subsidy ProgramHead Start in NebraskaDaycare cost in Nebraska, by age and county

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

Nebraska

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Nebraska

Omaha477 accept assistanceLincoln223 accept assistanceBellevue48 accept assistanceKearney45 accept assistanceGrand Island40 accept assistanceNorfolk30 accept assistancePapillion30 accept assistanceColumbus28 accept assistanceBeatrice20 accept assistanceElkhorn20 accept assistanceFremont20 accept assistanceScottsbluff18 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Nebraska

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 daycares2,629
Take infants2,112
Child care centers1,121
Accept subsidy1,559
In-home daycares1,508
Christian & church daycares112
Montessori schools37
Preschools & pre-K2,421
24-hour daycare306
Night daycare664
Early morning daycare1,669
Weekend daycare544
Part-time daycare73
Drop-in daycare27
After-school care2,614
Head Start44

The Nebraska state record

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Services Licensing licenses daycares in Nebraska.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Search the Nebraska state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Nebraska

  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.

Nebraska

Cost, inspections and ratios in Nebraska

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

A to Z

All 221 Nebraska towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A17 towns
B18 towns
C23 towns
D8 towns
E9 towns
F11 towns
G12 towns
H14 towns
I2 towns
J1 town
K3 towns
L13 towns
M10 towns
N7 towns
O10 towns
P14 towns
R7 towns
S19 towns
T4 towns
V4 towns
W14 towns
Y1 town
  • York12 accept assistance

Nearby

Nearby states

Colorado2,294 accept assistanceWyoming231 accept assistanceMissouri69 accept assistanceKansas36 accept assistanceIowa33 accept assistanceSouth Dakota698 daycares

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Nebraska

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

1,559 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 221 Nebraska towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

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

Omaha, with 477 listed. Next are Lincoln (223) and Bellevue (48).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Nebraska?

Apply through the Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska?

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Services Licensing licenses daycares in Nebraska. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.