Daycare cost · Kansas
How much does daycare cost in Kansas?
Full-time infant care at a Kansas daycare center cost a median of $96 a week in the latest federal county survey. The 38 Kansas daycares that post a preschool rate on their websites charge a median of $175 a week.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $96
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $98
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $175
- Counties priced
- 105
By age
Daycare prices by age in Kansas
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in Kansas; the posted figures are the middle rate on Kansas daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $96 | $98 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $98 | $83 | Too few to show |
| Preschool | $98 | $83 | $175Middle half $124 to $251 · 38 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $82 | $83 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; Kansas figure = the median of 105 county medians. Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 49 Kansas daycare websites (91.8% of them centers); half-day, part-week and school-year rates left out; shown only where at least 30 daycares post a rate for that age.
Reading the numbers
Why the two figures differ
The two figures measure different things. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle Kansas county. Every county counts the same, and most rural Kansas counties share one low price, which pulls the state figure down. The 2026 figure is the middle rate among Kansas daycares that publish their prices online, and those are mostly centers (91.8% of the 49 that post a rate).
Prices have also risen since 2022. Posted preschool rates run about $77 a week above the 2022 county price. Use the 2022 figures to compare counties, and the posted rate as a guide to what a center with a website asks today. Too few Kansas daycares post an infant or toddler rate to give a 2026 figure for those ages.
By county
Where daycare costs more in Kansas
Lowest county price
$96a week for center infant care in Allen County and 84 other countiesHighest county price
$224a week for center infant care in Johnson CountyJohnson County
$224a week for center infant care; the most populous county in KansasSedgwick County
$157a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousShawnee County
$186a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousKansas prices fall into a few clear levels. In 2022, most counties shared the lowest center infant price, $96 a week. Johnson County, which includes Overland Park and Olathe, was highest at $224. Shawnee County, which includes Topeka, was one of 12 counties at $186, and Sedgwick County, which includes Wichita, one of 7 at $157.
In most of the state, home daycares and centers charged about the same: $98 a week for infant care at a home daycare in the middle county. In the bigger counties homes cost less, for example $162 a week against $224 at a center in Johnson County.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $4,992
- of the middle county household income ($59,417)
- 8%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 0 of 105
Every county
Daycare prices in every Kansas 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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | $96 | $98 | $98 | Iola |
| Anderson | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Atchison | $96 | $98 | $98 | Atchison |
| Barber | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Barton | $96 | $98 | $98 | Great Bend |
| Bourbon | $96 | $98 | $98 | Fort Scott |
| Brown | $96 | $98 | $98 | Hiawatha |
| Butler | $157 | $138 | $123 | AndoverEl DoradoAugusta |
| Chase | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Chautauqua | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Cherokee | $96 | $98 | $98 | Baxter SpringsColumbus |
| Cheyenne | $186 | $144 | $130 | None listed |
| Clark | $186 | $144 | $130 | None listed |
| Clay | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Cloud | $96 | $98 | $98 | Concordia |
| Coffey | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Comanche | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Cowley | $96 | $98 | $98 | WinfieldArkansas City |
| Crawford | $96 | $98 | $98 | PittsburgFrontenac |
| Decatur | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Dickinson | $96 | $98 | $98 | Abilene |
| Doniphan | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Douglas | $186 | $144 | $130 | LawrenceEudora |
| Edwards | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Elk | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Ellis | $186 | $144 | $130 | Hays |
| Ellsworth | $96 | $98 | $98 | Ellsworth |
| Finney | $96 | $98 | $98 | Garden City |
| Ford | $96 | $98 | $98 | Dodge City |
| Franklin | $96 | $98 | $98 | Ottawa |
| Geary | $186 | $144 | $130 | Junction City |
| Gove | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Graham | $96 | $98 | $98 | Hill City |
| Grant | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Gray | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Greeley | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Greenwood | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Hamilton | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Harper | $96 | $98 | $98 | Harper |
| Harvey | $186 | $144 | $130 | Newton |
| Haskell | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Hodgeman | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Jackson | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Jefferson | $186 | $144 | $130 | None listed |
| Jewell | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Johnson | $224 | $183 | $162 | Overland ParkOlatheShawnee |
| Kearny | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Kingman | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Kiowa | $96 | $98 | $98 | Haviland |
| Labette | $96 | $98 | $98 | Parsons |
| Lane | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Leavenworth | $157 | $138 | $120 | LeavenworthBonner SpringsBasehor |
| Lincoln | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Linn | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Logan | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Lyon | $96 | $98 | $98 | Emporia |
| Marion | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Marshall | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| McPherson | $96 | $98 | $98 | McPherson |
| Meade | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Miami | $157 | $138 | $120 | Spring HillPaola |
| Mitchell | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Montgomery | $96 | $98 | $98 | Independence |
| Morris | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Morton | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Nemaha | $96 | $98 | $98 | Sabetha |
| Neosho | $96 | $98 | $98 | Chanute |
| Ness | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Norton | $186 | $144 | $130 | Norton |
| Osage | $96 | $98 | $98 | Carbondale |
| Osborne | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Ottawa | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Pawnee | $96 | $98 | $98 | Larned |
| Phillips | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Pottawatomie | $157 | $138 | $120 | Wamego |
| Pratt | $96 | $98 | $98 | Pratt |
| Rawlins | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Reno | $96 | $98 | $98 | HutchinsonHaven |
| Republic | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Rice | $96 | $98 | $98 | Lyons |
| Riley | $157 | $138 | $120 | ManhattanFort Riley |
| Rooks | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Rush | $186 | $144 | $130 | None listed |
| Russell | $96 | $98 | $98 | Russell |
| Saline | $96 | $98 | $98 | Salina |
| Scott | $186 | $144 | $130 | None listed |
| Sedgwick | $157 | $138 | $120 | WichitaDerbyValley Center |
| Seward | $186 | $144 | $130 | Liberal |
| Shawnee | $186 | $144 | $130 | TopekaTecumseh |
| Sheridan | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Sherman | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Smith | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Stafford | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Stanton | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Stevens | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Sumner | $96 | $98 | $98 | Wellington |
| Thomas | $96 | $98 | $98 | Colby |
| Trego | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Wabaunsee | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Wallace | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Washington | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Wichita | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Wilson | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Woodson | $96 | $98 | $98 | None listed |
| Wyandotte | $157 | $138 | $120 | Kansas CityEdwardsville |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
The Kansas Department for Children and Families runs the Child Care Assistance program, which helps qualifying families pay part of the cost of child care. On DaycarePal, 36 Kansas daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance so far: see the Kansas daycares that accept it. Others may take it too, so ask.
Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. If your child is 4, ask your school district whether it offers a free pre-K class.
Home daycares, most of all in the larger counties, and part-time schedules can cost less. When you compare, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in Kansas
How much is daycare per month in Kansas?
About $416 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $96 a week. At the rates Kansas daycares post in 2026, preschool runs about $758 a month.
How much does infant care cost a year in Kansas?
About $4,992 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 8% of the middle Kansas county's household income ($59,417). In Johnson County, at $224 a week, the yearly cost is far higher.
Does home daycare cost less than a center in Kansas?
In most counties the two were close in 2022: $98 a week for infant care at a home daycare and $96 at a center in the middle county. In Johnson County, a home daycare charged $162 a week and a center $224.
Which Kansas county has the highest daycare prices?
Johnson County, at $224 a week for center infant care in 2022. Most rural counties shared the lowest price, $96 a week. The table on this page lists every county.
Why do Kansas daycare websites show higher prices than the survey?
The survey is from 2022 and gives every county the same weight, and most Kansas counties sit at its lowest price. The daycares posting rates online are mostly centers posting 2026 prices. Use one to compare counties and the other for what centers ask now.
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 Kansas daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Kansas for each daycare's own listing.