Center-Based vs Family Child Care: Which Costs Less?

Family child care costs less than center-based care for three of the four major age groups, and the gap is widest for infants. Per 2022 NDCP data, infant care averages $243.75 a week at a center versus $185.00 a week with a family child care provider — family child care is $58.75 a week (24.1%) cheaper.

Key Takeaways

• Infant care: family child care is $58.75/week (24.1%) cheaper than center-based care — the largest gap of any age, per 2022 NDCP data.
• Toddler care: family child care is $31.07/week (15.1%) cheaper than center-based care.
• Preschool care: family child care is $14.55/week (7.8%) cheaper — the gap keeps narrowing as children get older.
• School-age care: the pattern flips. Centers are $1.70/week cheaper than family child care nationally — the only age where centers cost less.
• Local prices vary: in Niagara County, NY, family child care stays cheaper at every age, including school-age. Check your own county's numbers with the affordability calculator rather than relying on national medians alone.

How Much Cheaper Is Family Child Care?

Nationally, family child care undercuts center-based care by anywhere from $1.70 to $58.75 a week, depending on a child's age. Based on 2022 NDCP data, the discount is largest for infants and shrinks steadily as children get older, before reversing at school age — the one point where centers come out slightly cheaper. For the full national breakdown of what child care costs at every age, see the average daycare cost guide.

That pattern — a large gap at the youngest ages that narrows over time — matches the general price trend within center-based care itself, which is highest for infants and gradually declines as children move into toddler, preschool, and school-age brackets, per 2022 NDCP data. Family child care prices decline with age too, just more gradually, which is part of why the two lines converge, and even cross, by school age.

That $58.75 weekly gap for infants adds up to $3,055 over a full year — close to four months of family child care at the family rate. Even the smallest gap, $14.55 a week for preschoolers, comes to $756.60 annually, which is real money for most household budgets.

Part of the difference may come down to the basic structural difference between the two settings. A center-based program is a larger, classroom-based facility that typically organizes children into separate age-based classrooms, while a family child care provider operates out of a single home, caring for a smaller, mixed-age group of children in one space. That structural difference is a reasonable, if unproven, explanation for why the discount is largest for infants and narrows as children get older — but this dataset tracks price only. It doesn't include quality, safety, or licensing information, so it can't say definitively why the gap exists, only how large it is at each age of care. Both are common, licensed forms of paid child care in the United States, and nothing here claims one is the "better" option — only that, dollar for dollar, one tends to cost less at most ages.

Does the Price Gap Change by Age?

Yes — the family child care discount shrinks steadily as children get older. It runs 24.1% for infants, narrows to 15.1% for toddlers and 7.8% for preschoolers, then flips to a small center-based advantage at school age. For an age-by-age look at national pricing patterns, see the childcare cost by age breakdown. Here is the full national comparison, per 2022 NDCP data:

• Infant: $243.75/week center-based ($12,675/year) vs. $185.00/week family child care ($9,620/year) — family child care is $58.75/week ($3,055/year) cheaper, a 24.1% discount.
• Toddler: $206.07/week center-based ($10,715.64/year) vs. $175.00/week family child care ($9,100/year) — family child care is $31.07/week ($1,615.64/year) cheaper, a 15.1% discount.
• Preschool: $186.00/week center-based ($9,672/year) vs. $171.45/week family child care ($8,915.40/year) — family child care is $14.55/week ($756.60/year) cheaper, a 7.8% discount.
• School-age: $148.30/week center-based ($7,711.60/year) vs. $150.00/week family child care ($7,800/year) — family child care is actually $1.70/week ($88.40/year) more expensive, the only age where centers cost less.

Is Family Child Care Ever More Expensive?

Yes, in one case: school-age care. Nationally, family child care for school-age children costs $150.00 a week versus $148.30 a week at a center — family child care runs $1.70/week ($88.40/year) more, the only age band where centers are the cheaper option, per 2022 NDCP data.

That flip is a national median, though, not a universal rule. Local child care markets vary by county, so it's worth checking your own area's numbers rather than assuming the national school-age pattern applies everywhere — the Niagara County, NY example below shows real local prices that don't follow the national flip at all.

What Does This Look Like in a Real County?

In Niagara County, New York (population 212,230, median family income $85,934), family child care is cheaper than center-based care at every single age — including school-age, where the national figure flips. Per 2022 NDCP data:

• Infant: $247.00/week center vs. $190.00/week family child care — family child care is $57/week cheaper.
• Toddler: $230.00/week center vs. $180.00/week family child care — family child care is $50/week cheaper.
• Preschool: $200.00/week center vs. $175.00/week family child care — family child care is $25/week cheaper.
• School-age: $194.00/week center vs. $175.00/week family child care — family child care is $19/week cheaper, unlike the national figures, where centers edge out family providers at this age.

The takeaway: national medians are a useful starting point, but the center-vs-family gap — and even its direction — can vary by county. Look up your own county's numbers, then run them through the affordability calculator to see how either option compares against the federal 7% income benchmark.