How much does daycare cost in California?

These two numbers come from different places. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle county among California's 58, built from the state's survey of what providers charge, and each county counts once however many families live there. The 2026 figure is the middle rate among California daycares that put their prices online, and most of them are centers: 88% of the 341 that post a full-time rate.

Four years of price rises also sit between them. Posted toddler rates run about $152 a week above the 2022 county price, preschool rates about $122 and infant rates about $93. Use the 2022 figures to compare counties, and the posted rates as a guide to what a center with a website asks now.

For school-age children, the posted rate ($174 a week) is also above the 2022 center figure ($110). Ask whether a school-age rate covers full days in the summer or only the hours before and after school.

The county you live in moves the price a lot. In 2022, a week of center infant care ran from $222 in Imperial County to $607 in San Francisco County. Bay Area counties sit near the high end, with $527 in Santa Clara County and $516 in Alameda County. In the three most populous counties, the price was $257 in Los Angeles County, $379 in San Diego County and $394 in Orange County.

Home daycares cost much less for babies: the middle California county charged $246 a week for home infant care in 2022, against $353 at a center. For toddlers and preschoolers the two kinds of care were close ($219 at a home and $217 at a center for toddlers), so it pays to price both.

California helps families with lower incomes pay for child care through programs such as CalWORKs Child Care, run with the California Department of Social Services, and Alternative Payment Programs, which give families a voucher for the provider they choose. On DaycarePal, 462 California daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the California daycares that accept it.

Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. California public schools also offer free transitional kindergarten to every child who turns 4 by September 1, which can replace a year of paid preschool.

A home daycare can cost less for a baby, and part-time schedules cost less than full-time care. When you compare daycares, ask about sibling discounts, registration fees and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.