Daycare cost · Colorado
How much does daycare cost in Colorado?
Full-time infant care at a Colorado daycare center cost a median of $235 a week in the latest federal county survey. Preschool at a center cost $202 a week, and an infant spot in a home daycare $187.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $235
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $202
- Counties priced
- 62
By age
Daycare prices by age in Colorado
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in Colorado; the posted figures are the middle rate on Colorado daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $235 | $187 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $215 | $183 | Too few to show |
| Preschool | $202 | $183 | Too few to show |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $149 | $158 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; Colorado figure = the median of 62 county medians. Posted rates for Colorado are not measured yet: we have not read Colorado daycare websites for prices so far.
Reading the numbers
Where these figures come from
The prices on this page come from the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 county survey, which uses state surveys of what providers charge. The Colorado figure is the middle of 62 county prices, with every county counted the same, so a small rural county weighs as much as Denver.
We have not read Colorado daycare websites for prices yet, so there is no 2026 posted rate here. Prices have likely risen since 2022; ask each daycare for its current weekly rate.
By county
Where daycare costs more in Colorado
Lowest county price
$104a week for center infant care in Baca County and 8 other countiesHighest county price
$430a week for center infant care in Denver CountyEl Paso County
$350a week for center infant care; the most populous county in ColoradoDenver County
$430a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousArapahoe County
$377a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousWhere you live in Colorado changes the price a great deal. In 2022, center infant care ranged from $104 a week in Baca County to $430 a week in Denver County, more than four times as much.
Home daycares cost less in most of the state. The middle Colorado county charged $187 a week for infant care in a home daycare, against $235 at a center.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $12,220
- of the middle county household income ($66,532)
- 18%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 19 of 62
Every county
Daycare prices in every Colorado county
Weekly county survey prices for full-time care, A to Z. Select a column heading to sort by it. The towns are where most of each county's daycares on DaycarePal are.
| Towns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | $392 | $271 | $246 | ThorntonBrightonCommerce City |
| Alamosa | $172 | $120 | $165 | Alamosa |
| Arapahoe | $377 | $280 | $257 | AuroraCentennialEnglewood |
| Archuleta | $223 | $189 | $224 | Pagosa Springs |
| Baca | $104 | $114 | $91 | None listed |
| Bent | $104 | $101 | $88 | None listed |
| Boulder | $404 | $348 | $269 | BoulderLongmontLafayette |
| Broomfield | $341 | $265 | $311 | BroomfieldWestminster |
| Chaffee | $283 | $372 | $260 | SalidaBuena Vista |
| Cheyenne | $104 | $372 | $148 | Cheyenne Wells |
| Clear Creek | $279 | $208 | $235 | EvergreenIdaho Springs |
| Conejos | $104 | $87 | $179 | None listed |
| Costilla | $183 | $138 | $152 | None listed |
| Crowley | $182 | $137 | $152 | None listed |
| Custer | $223 | $189 | $152 | None listed |
| Delta | $152 | $192 | $143 | DeltaCedaredgeHotchkiss |
| Denver | $430 | $332 | $223 | DenverAurora |
| Dolores | $219 | $184 | $147 | None listed |
| Douglas | $401 | $276 | $260 | ParkerHighlands RanchCastle Rock |
| Eagle | $333 | $291 | $226 | EagleAvonEdwards |
| El Paso | $350 | $266 | $242 | Colorado SpringsPeytonMonument |
| Elbert | $281 | $250 | $256 | Elizabeth |
| Fremont | $166 | $242 | $167 | Canon City |
| Garfield | $297 | $271 | $268 | Glenwood SpringsParachuteGypsum |
| Gilpin | $294 | $245 | $232 | Black Hawk |
| Grand | $342 | $264 | $310 | FraserGranbyKremmling |
| Gunnison | $285 | $155 | $216 | GunnisonCrested Butte |
| Huerfano | $285 | $92 | $147 | None listed |
| Jefferson | $415 | $327 | $271 | LakewoodLittletonArvada |
| Kiowa | $104 | $112 | $148 | None listed |
| Kit Carson | $178 | $128 | $182 | Burlington |
| La Plata | $286 | $212 | $235 | DurangoBayfield |
| Lake | $232 | $167 | $210 | Leadville |
| Larimer | $391 | $291 | $232 | Fort CollinsLovelandWellington |
| Las Animas | $111 | $88 | $139 | Trinidad |
| Lincoln | $168 | $180 | $137 | None listed |
| Logan | $166 | $157 | $136 | Sterling |
| Mesa | $223 | $181 | $174 | Grand JunctionFruitaClifton |
| Mineral | $176 | $314 | $136 | None listed |
| Moffat | $291 | $250 | $187 | Craig |
| Montezuma | $194 | $157 | $147 | CortezMancos |
| Montrose | $238 | $181 | $139 | MontroseOlathe |
| Morgan | $172 | $196 | $135 | Fort MorganWigginsBrush |
| Otero | $104 | $114 | $91 | La JuntaRocky Ford |
| Ouray | $365 | $264 | $251 | OurayRidgway |
| Park | $386 | $253 | $251 | BaileyFairplay |
| Phillips | $104 | $87 | $187 | Holyoke |
| Pitkin | $272 | $263 | $328 | CarbondaleAspenSnowmass Village |
| Prowers | $104 | $116 | $148 | Lamar |
| Pueblo | $258 | $191 | $165 | PuebloPueblo West |
| Rio Blanco | $186 | $281 | $152 | RifleRangely |
| Rio Grande | $179 | $130 | $198 | Monte Vista |
| Routt | $332 | $318 | $239 | Steamboat SpringsHayden |
| Saguache | $187 | $137 | $136 | None listed |
| San Juan | $294 | $245 | $232 | None listed |
| San Miguel | $403 | $317 | $311 | Telluride |
| Sedgwick | $104 | $92 | $148 | None listed |
| Summit | $380 | $327 | $328 | BreckenridgeDillonFrisco |
| Teller | $283 | $151 | $141 | Woodland Park |
| Washington | $186 | $295 | $188 | Akron |
| Weld | $341 | $252 | $245 | GreeleyErieWindsor |
| Yuma | $162 | $106 | $182 | YumaWray |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP), run by county human services offices under the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, helps families with lower incomes pay for care. On DaycarePal, 2,294 Colorado daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Colorado daycares that accept it.
Colorado Universal Preschool offers free preschool hours to every child in the year before kindergarten, at schools, centers and licensed home providers. Head Start and Early Head Start are also free for families who qualify and serve children from birth to age 5.
A home daycare can also cost less. When you compare, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.
- Daycares in Colorado that accept child care assistance
- Home daycares in Colorado
- Child care resources for Colorado families (childcare.gov)
- Head Start center locator (Office of Head Start)
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in Colorado
How much is daycare per month in Colorado?
About $1,018 a month for full-time center infant care, at the 2022 middle-county price of $235 a week. Preschool at a center ran about $875 a month, and infant care in a home daycare about $810.
How much does infant care cost a year in Colorado?
About $12,220 a year at the 2022 middle-county center price, or 18% of the middle Colorado county's household income ($66,532). In 19 of the 62 counties, center infant care took more than 20% of household income.
What does daycare cost in Denver?
In the 2022 survey, Denver County had the highest center infant price in Colorado, $430 a week. Baca County had the lowest, at $104. The table on this page lists every county.
Is home daycare less expensive than a center in Colorado?
Usually. In the 2022 survey, the middle Colorado county charged $187 a week for infant care in a home daycare and $235 at a center; for preschoolers it was $183 and $202.
Why is there no 2026 posted price for Colorado?
We have not yet read Colorado daycare websites for their rates, so this page uses the 2022 county survey only. Ask each daycare for its current price for your child's age.
We are a directory, not the daycare. Each daycare sets its own prices; ask for the current rate for your child's age and schedule.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 county prices and household incomes); rates posted on Colorado daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Colorado for each daycare's own listing.