Daycare tuition transparency
We read 26,893 program websites. 1,348 of them (5%) state a full-time price for care. A price is counted only when the page gives the amount and the period; registration fees, part-time rates and camp prices are not tuition.
Share of websites that publish tuition, by state
States with at least 100 program websites read.
Source: state child care licence registers, program websites and Google business profiles as held by Preschool Index, synced September 2026. Statistics use every licensed program on record, including listings not yet released.
Published full-time tuition by age group
Monthly, as published. Weekly rates are multiplied by 4.33 and annual rates divided by 12. The middle half of programs falls between the 25th and 75th percentile.
| Age group | Programs publishing | Median a month | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | 550 | $1,419 | $1,148 | $1,820 |
| Toddler | 462 | $1,408 | $1,148 | $1,902 |
| Preschool | 831 | $1,174 | $900 | $1,517 |
| Pre-K | 141 | $1,170 | $893 | $1,683 |
| School age | 376 | $847 | $672 | $1,127 |
Median published tuition by metro area
Starting full-time price, metros with at least five programs publishing. See tuition by age group per metro.
Source: state child care licence registers, program websites and Google business profiles as held by Preschool Index, synced September 2026. Statistics use every licensed program on record, including listings not yet released.
Why so few publish a price
Is the low share a reading problem or a real one?
Both play a part. Most program websites have no tuition page at all. Some publish a rate sheet as a PDF or an image, which we do not read, and some give a range without a period. The figures here count only prices stated in plain text with a period, so they are a floor.
Which programs tend to publish?
Montessori schools, university-run centers, cooperatives and public programs publish more often than franchised centers and home daycares. Published prices skew toward higher-cost programs, so the medians are not the price of care in a metro, only the price of published care.