Daycare cost · Missouri
How much does daycare cost in Missouri?
Full-time infant care at Missouri daycares that post their prices costs a median of $308 a week, from 42 daycare websites. The federal county survey has no prices for Missouri, so these figures come from the rates Missouri daycares post.
- a week, infant rate posted by daycares
- $308
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $185
By age
Daycare prices by age in Missouri
Weekly prices for full-time care, from the rates Missouri daycares post on their websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | Not in survey | Not in survey | $308Middle half $245 to $364 · 42 daycares |
| Toddler | Not in survey | Not in survey | $250Middle half $190 to $370 · 34 daycares |
| Preschool | Not in survey | Not in survey | $185Middle half $148 to $245 · 57 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | Not in survey | Not in survey | Too few to show |
Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 78 Missouri daycare websites (97.4% 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
Where these figures come from
There are no 2022 county prices for Missouri: the U.S. Department of Labor's county survey has none for the state's 115 counties. The prices here come from the 78 Missouri daycares that post a full-time rate on their websites, one rate per daycare, leaving out half-day and part-week rates.
Almost all of them are centers (97.4%), so read these as center prices. Rates vary a lot: the middle half of posted infant rates runs from $245 to $364 a week, and toddler rates from $190 to $370. Too few daycares post a school-age rate to show one.
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, through its Office of Childhood, runs the Child Care Subsidy Program, which helps eligible families pay for care while they work, look for work or go to school. Ask each daycare whether it takes the subsidy, or see the Missouri daycares listed as accepting child care assistance.
Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. Some Missouri school districts also run pre-K classes; ask yours what it offers.
Home daycares 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 Missouri
How much is daycare per month in Missouri?
About $1,335 a month for full-time infant care, at the $308 weekly median Missouri daycares post in 2026. Toddler care runs about $1,083 a month and preschool about $802 a month.
How much does infant care cost a year in Missouri?
About $16,016 a year at the posted 2026 median of $308 a week. Half of the Missouri daycares that post an infant rate charge between $245 and $364 a week.
How much does preschool cost in Missouri?
A median of $185 a week in 2026, from 57 Missouri daycares that post a full-time preschool rate. Half of them charge between $148 and $245 a week.
Why is there no county price table for Missouri?
The U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 county survey has no prices for Missouri counties, so this page uses the rates Missouri daycares post on their websites instead.
Are these prices for centers or home daycares?
Mostly centers: 97.4% of the 78 Missouri daycares that post a rate are centers. Home daycares may charge differently, so call a few and compare.
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 Missouri daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Missouri for each daycare's own listing.