How much does daycare cost in Idaho?

These prices come from the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 county survey of child care prices, built from Idaho's own surveys of what providers charge. The median is the middle county of Idaho's 44, and each county counts the same, so a small rural county weighs as much as Ada County.

We also read 163 Idaho daycare websites for prices, but only 23 of them post a full-time rate, too few for a fair 2026 figure at any age. Prices may have gone up since 2022, so ask each daycare for its current rate.

Where you live in Idaho changes the price a lot. In 2022, center infant care ran from $106 a week in Custer County to $208 a week in Teton County and in Ada County, which includes Boise. Canyon County and Kootenai County, the next most populous, both sat at $166 a week.

Home daycares cost less, most of all for babies. The middle Idaho county charged $109 a week for infant care in a home daycare, against $127 at a center. In Ada County the difference was larger: $145 a week at a home daycare against $208 at a center.

Idaho helps working families with lower incomes pay for child care through the Idaho Child Care Program, run by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. On DaycarePal, 27 Idaho daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Idaho 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. You can find a Head Start program by address.

A home daycare or a part-time schedule can also bring the cost down. When you compare daycares, ask what the weekly rate includes, whether there is a registration or supply fee, and whether siblings get a discount.