How much does daycare cost in Nebraska?

These prices come from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices, which records what providers charged in each county in 2022. The Nebraska figure is the price in the middle county of the 93. The survey gives nearly every Nebraska county the same price, so the middle-county figure is also the price across most of the state outside the larger metro counties.

Prices have gone up since 2022. Too few Nebraska daycares post a full-time rate on their websites for us to give a 2026 figure, so ask each daycare what it charges now.

Nebraska's 2022 prices come in two levels. Four counties, Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy and Dakota, had center infant care at $244 a week. Every other county was at $187. For preschoolers, the figures were $205 and $162.

Home daycares cost far less in Nebraska. The middle county charged $108 a week for infant care in a home daycare in 2022, against $187 at a center, and in the four larger counties a home daycare charged $150 against $244 at a center.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services runs the Child Care Subsidy Program, which helps families with lower incomes pay for child care. On DaycarePal, 1,559 Nebraska daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Nebraska 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. If your child is 4, ask your school district whether it has a free pre-K class.

Home daycares are the biggest saving in Nebraska, and there are 1,508 of them listed on DaycarePal. Part-time schedules can also cost less; ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.