How much does daycare cost in Washington?

The two sources measure different things. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle Washington county, and all 39 counties count the same, so a small county east of the Cascades weighs as much as King County. The 2026 figures are the middle rates among Washington daycares that post prices online, and all 103 of them are centers.

Prices have climbed since 2022 as well. Posted toddler rates run about $172 a week above the 2022 county price, and posted preschool rates about $119 a week above it. Too few Washington daycares post a full-time infant rate to give a 2026 infant figure.

School-age care is the exception: the posted rate ($128 a week) is well below the 2022 figure ($192). Ask whether a school-age rate covers full summer days or only the hours before and after school.

In 2022, center infant care in Washington ran from $237 a week in Adams County to $478 a week in King County, which includes Seattle. Pierce County, which includes Tacoma, was $328, right at the middle figure, and Snohomish County was $363.

Home daycares cost less. The middle Washington county charged $246 a week for infant care in a home daycare in 2022, against $328 at a center, and $347 against $478 in King County.

Working Connections Child Care, run by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), helps eligible families pay for child care while they work or go to school. On DaycarePal, 138 Washington daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Washington daycares that accept it.

ECEAP, Washington's state preschool program run by DCYF, is free for 3- and 4-year-olds whose families qualify. Head Start and Early Head Start are also free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5.

Home daycares and part-time schedules can cost less. When you compare daycares, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.