How much does daycare cost in New York?

The two figures answer different questions. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle New York county, drawn from the state's survey of provider prices; each of the 62 counties counts once, so the many upstate counties set the middle. The 2026 figure is the middle rate among daycares that publish prices on their websites: 113 New York daycares post a full-time rate, and 77.9% of them are centers.

Prices have also climbed since 2022. Posted infant rates run about $157 a week above the 2022 county price, toddler rates about $150 and preschool rates about $104. Compare counties with the 2022 figures, and treat the posted rates as a guide to what a center asks today.

School-age care goes the other way: the posted median ($145 a week) sits below the 2022 figure ($194). Ask whether a school-age rate covers full summer days or only the hours before and after school.

New York's 2022 county prices fall into a few clear levels. Center infant care cost $247 a week in 38 of the 62 counties, Allegany County among them, and $300 in the five New York City boroughs, including Kings and Queens counties. The highest price, $325, applied in Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Putnam counties.

Home daycares cost noticeably less. The middle county charged $190 a week for home infant care in 2022, against $247 at a center, and in the city boroughs home infant care was $250 against $300 at a center.

New York's Child Care Assistance Program, overseen by the Office of Children and Family Services and run by each county's social services district, helps families with lower incomes pay for care. On DaycarePal, 229 New York daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the list.

Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. Ask your school district whether it offers free pre-K for your child's age.

Home daycares make up most of the New York listings on DaycarePal, and in the 2022 survey they cost less than centers at every age. Part-time schedules can lower the bill too; ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay during your vacation weeks.