Washington child care prices among nation’s highest, report finds
Jun 2, 2025, 5:00 AM | Updated: 1:13 pm
A child plays with toys. A report listed Washington as having one of the highest day care center prices in the country. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Washington was listed as having one of the highest day care center prices in the country.
The state was ranked the second-worst for infant care center prices in 2024, taking up 50.7% of a single parent’s median income, according to the Child Care Aware (CCA) report.
Washington child care prices
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The report included that the median income for a single parent in Washington was $42,108, and the average annual cost for an infant in a day care center was $21,348.
Furthermore, toddler care in Washington accounted for 45.7% of a single parent’s median income, and 40.2% for a four-year-old.
“Only Massachusetts, California, Maryland, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia had higher child care prices last year,” Axios stated, according to CCA.
Child care, or in-state tuition?
Average annual child care center prices in Washington were roughly double the amount of in-state tuition at a four-year public university, according to the CCA report.
The report listed the average in-state tuition and fees for Washington as being $11,848, more than double the $21,348 needed to pay for an infant in child care annually.
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