Daycare cost · Maine
How much does daycare cost in Maine?
Full-time infant care at a Maine daycare center cost a median of $225 a week in the latest federal county survey. In a home daycare, the middle county charged $163 a week for infant care.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $225
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $188
- Counties priced
- 16
By age
Daycare prices by age in Maine
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in Maine; the posted figures are the middle rate on Maine daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $225 | $163 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $203 | $150 | Too few to show |
| Preschool | $188 | $146 | Too few to show |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $140 | $135 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; Maine figure = the median of 16 county medians. Fewer than 30 Maine daycares post a usable full-time rate for any one age group, so this page does not give a posted figure for Maine.
Reading the numbers
Where these figures come from
These prices come from the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 county survey, which draws on Maine's own surveys of what providers charge. The median is the middle of Maine's 16 counties, and each county counts the same.
We read 195 Maine daycare websites for prices, and only 13 post a full-time rate, too few for a 2026 figure. Prices may have gone up since 2022, so ask each daycare what it charges now.
By county
Where daycare costs more in Maine
Lowest county price
$175a week for center infant care in Franklin County and 1 other countyHighest county price
$262a week for center infant care in York CountyCumberland County
$252a week for center infant care; the most populous county in MaineYork County
$262a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousPenobscot County
$256a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousIn 2022, center infant care in Maine ran from $175 a week in Franklin County to $262 a week in York County. The other large counties were in the upper part of that range: $252 a week in Cumberland County, which includes Portland, and $256 in Penobscot County, which includes Bangor.
Home daycares cost noticeably less for babies: $163 a week in the middle county against $225 at a center. DaycarePal lists 583 home daycares in Maine, so there is real choice beyond centers.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $11,700
- of the middle county household income ($62,406)
- 19%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 2 of 16
Every county
Daycare prices in every Maine 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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androscoggin | $224 | $172 | $163 | LewistonAuburnSabattus |
| Aroostook | $193 | $142 | $133 | Presque IsleCaribouHoulton |
| Cumberland | $252 | $261 | $207 | PortlandGorhamSouth Portland |
| Franklin | $175 | $155 | $170 | JayFarmingtonWilton |
| Hancock | $229 | $194 | $155 | EllsworthBar HarborBlue Hill |
| Kennebec | $230 | $212 | $165 | AugustaWatervilleSidney |
| Knox | $225 | $193 | $157 | RockportRocklandWarren |
| Lincoln | $212 | $188 | $182 | WaldoboroDamariscottaNewcastle |
| Oxford | $175 | $155 | $163 | NorwaySouth ParisOxford |
| Penobscot | $256 | $188 | $183 | BangorHermonOld Town |
| Piscataquis | $193 | $142 | $155 | Dover-FoxcroftMillinocket |
| Sagadahoc | $212 | $188 | $182 | TopshamBathBowdoin |
| Somerset | $193 | $142 | $155 | SkowheganFairfieldNorridgewock |
| Waldo | $225 | $193 | $157 | BelfastWinterportBelmont |
| Washington | $229 | $194 | $155 | MachiasCalais |
| York | $262 | $223 | $206 | SacoBiddefordSanford |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
Maine's Child Care Affordability Program, run by the Office of Child and Family Services in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, helps families pay for care. On DaycarePal, 866 Maine daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Maine 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 look up a Head Start program by address.
A part-time schedule can also lower the bill. When you compare daycares, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and what happens to the rate when your family is on vacation.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in Maine
How much is daycare per month in Maine?
About $975 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $225 a week. Center preschool care ran about $815 a month, and infant care at a home daycare about $706.
How much does infant care cost a year in Maine?
About $11,700 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 19% of the middle county's household income ($62,406). In 2 of the 16 counties, center infant care took more than 20% of household income.
Does home daycare cost less than a center in Maine?
Yes. In 2022 the middle Maine county charged $163 a week for infant care at a home daycare and $225 at a center; for preschoolers the figures were $146 and $188.
Which Maine county has the highest daycare prices?
In the 2022 survey, York County had the highest center infant price, $262 a week, and Franklin County the lowest, $175. The table on this page lists all 16 counties.
How many Maine daycares accept child care assistance?
866 Maine daycares on DaycarePal are listed as accepting it. The state's Child Care Affordability Program is run by the Maine Office of Child and Family Services; ask a daycare to confirm before you enroll.
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 Maine daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Maine for each daycare's own listing.