Does the school-age price include before- and after-school care specifically?

No. Per the DOL's Technical Guide, the school-age figure is a full-time weekly rate for children of compulsory school age, not an hourly before/after-school rate. Part-time wraparound care was expected to cost more per hour than this full-time figure implies.

Is family care ever more expensive than center-based care?

Yes, in exactly one case: school-age children. Family care ($150.00/week) costs slightly more than center-based care ($148.30/week) for this age group — the only one of the four age groups where that's true.

Why is school-age childcare the cheapest age group?

School-age children generally need less staff supervision per child than infants or toddlers, and providers can often serve more children per staff member, which tends to lower the price relative to younger age groups.

How much does school-age care vary from county to county?

Widely — from $23.65 to $504.30 a week for center-based care across 2,638 counties in 2022, a wider relative range than any other age group tracked.

COST DATA

School-Age Childcare Costs: The Cheapest Age Group, Explained

By Sharon Ben-Moshe · July 29, 2026

School-age childcare is the cheapest age group in the National Database of Childcare Prices — a median of $148.30 a week for center-based care in 2022. But it's also the only age group where family (home-based) care costs more than center-based care: $150.00 versus $148.30 a week.

Key Takeaways

School-age center-based care: $148.30/week nationally — the cheapest of the four NDCP age groups.
School-age family care: $150.00/week — the only age group where family care costs more than center care.
"School-age" prices in this dataset are a full-time weekly rate, not an hourly before/after-school rate — see the methodology note below.
Prices range from $23.65 to $504.30 a week across 2,638 counties, a wider relative spread than any other age group.
School-age is roughly 39% cheaper than infant center care ($243.75/week nationally).

How Much Does School-Age Childcare Cost, Nationally?

The 2022 National Database of Childcare Prices puts the U.S. median price for school-age children at $148.30 a week for center-based care and $150.00 a week for family (home-based) care — both the lowest of the four tracked age groups:

Infant — center: $243.75/week · family: $185.00/week
Toddler — center: $206.07/week · family: $175.00/week
Preschool — center: $186.00/week · family: $171.45/week
School-age — center: $148.30/week · family: $150.00/week

Compare the full breakdown by age group in infant vs toddler vs preschool: how age changes daycare cost.

What Does "School-Age" Actually Measure in This Data?

This matters enough to state precisely, per the DOL's own NDCP Technical Guide (see our methodology page for full sourcing): school-age prices are based on the full-time weekly rate for children who have reached each state's compulsory age for full-time school attendance — typically kindergarten. The Guide explicitly notes this choice was made because researchers inferred that part-time, before/after-school-only prices would run higher than the full-time rate captured here, not lower.

In practice, that means this figure reflects the price of a school-age child in full-time daycare (for example, during summer or on non-school days) rather than an hourly wraparound rate for the hours before or after a school day. If you're specifically pricing after-school-only coverage, expect the real hourly-equivalent rate to run higher than $148.30/week implies, not lower.

The One Age Group Where Family Care Costs More

Across infant, toddler, and preschool, center-based care is consistently more expensive than family (home-based) care — sometimes by a wide margin ($58.75/week for infants). School-age flips that: family care runs $1.70/week higher than center care nationally. See center-based vs family child care: which costs less for the age-by-age comparison in full — school-age is the outlier in that entire dataset.

One plausible explanation: full-time school-age slots are a smaller, less standardized part of a home-based provider's business than younger-child care, so pricing may not follow the same economies of scale that push center prices down for older kids.

How Much Does School-Age Care Vary by County?

School-age center-care prices range from $23.65 to $504.30 a week across the 2,638 counties with 2022 data — a wider spread, relative to the median, than any other age group. Check your own county's actual price at childcare costs by state rather than relying on the national figure.

Frequently asked questions

How much does school-age childcare cost?: The 2022 national median is $148.30 a week for center-based care and $150.00 a week for family (home-based) care — the lowest of the four NDCP age groups.
Does the school-age price include before- and after-school care specifically?: No. Per the DOL's Technical Guide, the school-age figure is a full-time weekly rate for children of compulsory school age, not an hourly before/after-school rate. Part-time wraparound care was expected to cost more per hour than this full-time figure implies.
Is family care ever more expensive than center-based care?: Yes, in exactly one case: school-age children. Family care ($150.00/week) costs slightly more than center-based care ($148.30/week) for this age group — the only one of the four age groups where that's true.
Why is school-age childcare the cheapest age group?: School-age children generally need less staff supervision per child than infants or toddlers, and providers can often serve more children per staff member, which tends to lower the price relative to younger age groups.
How much does school-age care vary from county to county?: Widely — from $23.65 to $504.30 a week for center-based care across 2,638 counties in 2022, a wider relative range than any other age group tracked.