Childcare Cost in Kansas (2026)
Full-time infant care at a licensed center averages about $1,096 a month ($13,150 a year) across Kansas, and about $760 a month in a licensed family child care home. That ranks Kansas 35th of the 47 states with a current statewide price survey, 18% below the national average for the same survey.
Kansas Childcare Costs at a Glance
Monthly cost for one child in full-time care, 2026. Daycare figures are statewide averages for licensed providers (Child Care Aware of America); nanny figures use Care.com's average Kansas rate of $18.45/hour × 40 hours a week, before employer payroll taxes; the au pair figure is the national program cost (agency fees, the federal minimum stipend and education allowance).
Daycare Prices in Kansas by Age (2026)
Infant care costs the most because licensing rules require more caregivers per baby. At Kansas centers, toddler care averages 6% less than infant care and care for a 4-year-old 16% less; licensed family child care homes cost 31% less than centers for an infant.
| Age | Center, per month | Center, per year | Family child care, per month | Family child care, per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $1,096 | $13,150 | $760 | $9,120 |
| Toddler | $1,028 | $12,340 | $728 | $8,740 |
| 4-year-old (preschool) | $919 | $11,030 | $693 | $8,320 |
Source: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (state data as of December 2025), +3.2% to 2026 prices via the BLS consumer price index for day care and preschool (series CUUR0000SEEB03). Statewide averages for full-time care in licensed providers; "family child care" means a licensed provider caring for children in their own home. Kansas's center infant average fell 15.9% from CCAoA's 2024 report, a change that usually means the state's price source changed (for example, a new market rate survey), so don't read it as a real price change.
Nanny, Nanny Share and After-School Care in Kansas
Care.com's average starting rate for a nanny in Kansas is $18.45 an hour (October 2026). For a 40-hour week year-round that is about $38,380 a year ($3,198 a month) before employer payroll taxes, which add roughly 10% more. In Wichita, the rate is $17.88 an hour, or about $37,190 a year. Unusually, the Wichita rate is a little below the state average.
In a nanny share, two families split one nanny and each typically pays about two-thirds of the solo rate: about $25,580 a year per family at the Kansas average. After-school care for a school-age child averages $15.65 an hour statewide; at 15 hours a week that is about $12,210 a year, before summer care. As a nanny's employer you owe Social Security, Medicare and federal unemployment tax once you pay $3,000 or more in a year. Estimate the total with the nanny tax calculator or the nanny share calculator.
How Prices Vary Across Kansas
The U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 data group Kansas counties into four price levels for full-time infant center care: $96 a week in 85 mostly rural counties, $157 in seven counties including Sedgwick (Wichita), Wyandotte and Riley, $186 in twelve counties including Douglas (Lawrence) and Shawnee (Topeka), and $224 in Johnson County alone. In 2026 prices that is roughly $510 to $1,195 a month.
The state's 2024 market rate study, using prices collected in March and April 2024, put the median for infant center care in Sedgwick County at $5.19 an hour, about $270 a week for full-time care, and $3.37 an hour (about $175 a week) in licensed family child care homes. Wichita-area centers therefore charge well above the statewide average.
How Kansas Compares With Nearby States
Child Care Aware of America's national average for full-time infant center care was $15,460 a year in 2025, about $1,330 a month in 2026 prices. Kansas's statewide average is 18% below that, 35th highest of the 47 states in the survey. The table compares Kansas with its neighbors using the same survey, so the figures are like-for-like.
| State | Infant center, monthly | Infant family child care, monthly | Rank of 47 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | $1,096 | $760 | 35 |
| Missouri | $1,297 | $908 | 24 |
| Nebraska | $1,297 | $838 | 24 |
| Oklahoma | $947 | $833 | 40 |
| Colorado | No current statewide price survey in CCAoA's 2025 report | ||
CCAoA 2025 statewide averages, +3.2% to 2026 prices. Rank 1 = most expensive. Our state pages for metro-tracked states headline a different figure (the average of the metros we track), so compare states using this table, not those headlines. For a big-city comparison, see our metro estimate for Kansas City. In our calculator, Kansas City, Kansas, suburbs (zip codes 660–662) use that estimate.
How Affordable Is Child Care in Kansas?
A year of full-time center care for one infant ($13,150 at the statewide average) equals 17% of Kansas's median household income ($75,514), 10% of the median income of a married couple with children ($126,214) and 35% for a single mother ($37,520), using the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey.
Help Paying for Child Care in Kansas
Child Care Assistance
Since July 1, 2026, Kansas's child care subsidy has been part of the new Kansas Office of Early Childhood, while the Department for Children and Families (DCF) still takes applications and decides eligibility. Families qualify with income up to 85% of state median income: $6,719 a month (about $80,630 a year) for a family of three on the schedule effective May 1, 2026. Parents who aren't on TANF must each work at least 20 hours a week at federal minimum wage or more.
Instead of a copay per child, families pay a monthly family share: $0 at or below the poverty line ($2,277 a month for three), $68 to $123 a month between 100% and 185% of poverty, and a flat $211 a month above that for plans written from May 1, 2026. Families also pay anything a provider charges above the state rate. Kansas's latest federal child care plan (approved June 2026) says it serves all eligible families, with no waiting list. Apply online through DCF's self-service portal; details are on DCF's child care assistance page.
Kansas tax credit
Kansas's credit for child and dependent care expenses is 50% of your federal credit from tax year 2024 on (it was 25% before), with no separate income limit. It's nonrefundable, for residents only, and claimed on Form K-40, line 14. The law bases it on the federal credit allowed for the year, so the larger 2026 federal credit should raise it, but the Kansas Department of Revenue hasn't published 2026 instructions.
State-funded pre-K
Kansas has no universal pre-K. School districts offer state-funded preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds who meet at least one at-risk criterion, such as income that qualifies for free school meals, a single-parent or teen-parent family, or a developmental delay, and the TANF-funded Kansas Preschool Pilot adds children eligible for reduced-price meals or with an IEP from 2026–27. Districts are told not to charge tuition for the state-funded part of the day.
Federal tax breaks
Federal benefits are the same in every state. For 2026 a Dependent Care FSA through an employer lets you set aside up to $7,500 per household before tax ($3,750 if married filing separately), and the Child and Dependent Care Credit covers 20% to 50% of up to $3,000 in care costs for one child or $6,000 for two or more; FSA money reduces the costs that count toward the credit. Compare the two with the Dependent Care FSA calculator or the child care tax credit calculator, and check your subsidy odds with the subsidy eligibility calculator.
What Our Calculator Uses in Kansas
Kansas City-area zip codes use our Kansas City metro estimate. Everywhere else, including Wichita, the calculator uses the statewide averages on this page, which run below what Wichita-area centers charge (see above).
| Area | Zip codes | Center | In-home daycare | Nanny |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City suburbs (Johnson, Wyandotte) (metro estimate) | 660–662 | $15,480 | $11,910 | $41,660 |
| Rest of Kansas (Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence) (statewide average) | 664–679 | $13,150 | $9,120 | $38,380 |
Yearly cost for one infant in full-time care. Zip codes are matched on their first three digits. Nanny figures are before employer payroll taxes. The calculator also adjusts for each child's age, part-time schedules, sibling discounts and tax savings.
About These Figures
Statewide daycare prices here are averages for licensed providers across all of Kansas, reported to Child Care Aware of America for its 2025 Price & Supply survey, and raised 3.2% to 2026 prices with the BLS day care and preschool price index. Our city pages estimate metro prices from Care.com rates, and big-city prices usually run above a statewide average. Use this page to compare Kansas with other states, and the calculator for your zip code.
Child Care Aware of America's figures are used for informational purposes with credit to Child Care Aware of America, info.childcareaware.org/price-and-supply-2025. County figures come from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (public domain). See our methodology for how the calculator works.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does daycare cost in Kansas?
Full-time infant care at a licensed Kansas center averages about $1,096 a month ($13,150 a year) statewide in 2026 prices, based on Child Care Aware of America's 2025 survey adjusted for inflation. Toddler care averages $1,028 a month and care for a 4-year-old $919. A licensed family child care home averages $760 a month for an infant. Johnson County and the Wichita area cost more than the statewide average.
How much does a nanny cost in Kansas?
Care.com's average Kansas nanny rate is $18.45 an hour (October 2026), about $38,380 a year for 40 hours a week, before roughly 10% in employer payroll taxes. In Wichita the average is $17.88 an hour. A nanny share cuts the cost to about $25,580 a year per family.
Does Kansas help families pay for child care?
Yes. Kansas Child Care Assistance covers families with income up to 85% of state median income, about $80,630 a year for a family of three, and the state reports no waiting list. Families pay a monthly family share of $0 to $211, depending on income. The program moved to the new Kansas Office of Early Childhood on July 1, 2026, but you still apply through the Department for Children and Families.
Is there a Kansas child care tax credit?
Yes. Since tax year 2024 Kansas gives a nonrefundable credit equal to 50% of your federal Child and Dependent Care Credit, with no separate income limit. It's claimed on Form K-40, line 14.
Sources
- Prices: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care in America: 2025 Price & Supply (published May 2026; state price data; methodology). Inflation adjustment: BLS CPI-U, day care and preschool (December 2025 394.711; September 2026 407.335).
- County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 county medians (data file).
- Nanny rates: Care.com Cost of Care Calculator, Wichita (state and city averages, October 2026).
- Subsidy: Kansas DCF, Child Care Assistance; KEESM Appendix F-1 income and family share schedule (May 1, 2026); May 2026 implementation memo; KEESM 2810 (work requirement); Kansas CCDF plan FFY 2025–2027.
- Taxes: K.S.A. 79-32,111c; 2025 Kansas income tax instructions.
- Pre-K: Kansas State Department of Education, preschool FAQs 2026–27.
- Market rates: 2024 Kansas Child Care Market Analysis (Wichita State University for DCF).
- Income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, table B19013 (median household income) and table B19126 (median family income by family type).
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