Daycare cost · New Jersey
How much does daycare cost in New Jersey?
Full-time infant care at a New Jersey daycare center cost a median of $304 a week in the latest federal county survey. The 33 New Jersey daycares that post a preschool rate on their websites charge a median of $291 a week.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $304
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $296
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $291
- Counties priced
- 21
By age
Daycare prices by age in New Jersey
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in New Jersey; the posted figures are the middle rate on New Jersey daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $304 | $192 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $296 | $195 | Too few to show |
| Preschool | $296 | $182 | $291Middle half $230 to $401 · 33 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $143 | $162 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; New Jersey figure = the median of 21 county medians. Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 54 New Jersey daycare websites (100% 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 2022 figures are the U.S. Department of Labor's prices for the middle New Jersey county, built from surveys of what providers charge, with each of the 21 counties counting the same. The 2026 figure is the middle preschool rate among New Jersey daycares that post prices online, and all 54 daycares that post a rate are centers.
Here the two figures land close together: the posted preschool rate is about $5 a week below the 2022 county price of $296. New Jersey center prices were already similar from county to county in 2022, and the posted figure rests on a small number of websites. Treat both as a starting point and ask each daycare what its weekly rate includes.
Too few New Jersey daycares post a full-time infant, toddler or school-age rate for a 2026 figure at those ages, so the 2022 prices are the guide there.
By county
Where daycare costs more in New Jersey
Lowest county price
$282a week for center infant care in Camden CountyHighest county price
$327a week for center infant care in Morris CountyBergen County
$318a week for center infant care; the most populous county in New JerseyMiddlesex County
$314a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousEssex County
$296a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousCenter prices in New Jersey sit in a narrow band. In 2022, center infant care ran from $282 a week in Camden County to $327 a week in Morris County. The most populous counties fall in between: $318 a week in Bergen County, $314 in Middlesex County and $296 in Essex County.
Home daycares were much lower in the survey. The middle New Jersey county charged $192 a week for infant care in a home daycare in 2022, against $304 at a center, a gap of more than $100 a week.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $15,808
- of the middle county household income ($92,697)
- 17%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 4 of 21
Every county
Daycare prices in every New Jersey 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.
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
New Jersey's child care assistance program helps families with lower incomes pay for care, through a child care resource and referral agency in each county. On DaycarePal, 142 New Jersey daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the New Jersey 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. For 3- and 4-year-olds, ask your school district about public preschool and who qualifies.
Part-time schedules and home daycares can bring the cost down. When you compare daycares, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.
- Daycares in New Jersey that accept child care assistance
- Part-time daycare in New Jersey
- Child care resources for New Jersey families (childcare.gov)
- Head Start center locator (Office of Head Start)
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in New Jersey
How much is daycare per month in New Jersey?
About $1,317 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $304 a week. At the rates New Jersey daycares post in 2026, full-time preschool runs about $1,261 a month.
How much does infant care cost a year in New Jersey?
About $15,808 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 17% of the middle New Jersey county's household income ($92,697). In 4 of the 21 counties, it took more than 20% of household income.
Does home daycare cost less than a center in New Jersey?
Yes, by a wide margin in the 2022 survey. The middle New Jersey county charged $192 a week for infant care in a home daycare and $304 at a center; for preschoolers, the figures were $182 and $296.
Which New Jersey county has the highest daycare prices?
In the 2022 survey, Morris County had the highest center infant price, at $327 a week, and Camden County the lowest, at $282. Every county was within about $45 of the others.
How much is preschool in New Jersey?
About $296 a week at a center in the 2022 middle county, and a median of $291 a week among the New Jersey daycares that post a full-time preschool rate in 2026. Ask your school district about public preschool, which can cost much less.
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 New Jersey daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in New Jersey for each daycare's own listing.