What Is the Average Cost for In-Home Day Care?

The cost of day care depends on where the care occurs and the age, health or special needs of the person receiving care. In 2008, caring for an infant or child younger than 5 years in a care center or family child-care home in the United States averaged from $3,500 to almost $19,000 per year, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.

  1. Average

    • In 2008, in-home day care costs in the United States averaged $525 per month for infants and toddlers and $474 per month for older children, according to Babycenter. In-home care often costs less than other day care, especially for families with several children or a child with special needs, according to the Mississippi Department of Health.

    Location

    • Location affects the cost of day care, with costs in rural areas being typically lower than in metropolitan areas and outside of central cities, according to the U.S. Census in 2002. In addition, states provide additional variance, with averages in areas such as New York, California and Massachusetts being double or triple compared to those in southern and less-populated states such as Tennessee, Alabama, Idaho and Okalahoma, according to NACCRRA.

    Care Giver

    • The pay for child day care workers often depends on their education and training, with hourly averages of $8.39 and at least 10 percent receiving less than $7.04 in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People typically pay less for care of older children than for infants, according to Terrell McSweeny, domestic policy advisor to the vice president.

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