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- Definition: Estimated annual child care cost at which families of half of children enrolled in full-time licensed care pay more and families of half of children enrolled in full-time licensed care pay less, by age group and type of facility (e.g., in 2023, the median annual cost of full-time licensed child care for an infant in a child care center in California was $19,719).
- Data Source: California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, California Child Care Portfolio (May 2025).
- Footnote: These estimates are based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP). Refer to the NDCP technical report for detailed descriptions of full-time care arrangements and of infant, toddler, preschooler, and school-age age groupings. Child care centers are facilities that provide care for children during all or part of the day. These facilities may be large or small and can be operated independently by nonprofit organizations or by churches, school districts, or other organizations. Most child care centers are licensed by the California Dept. of Social Services (CDSS). In family child care homes, care for up to 14 children is offered in the home of the provider, often a parent. Family child care homes also are licensed by CDSS.
Learn More About Early Care and Education
- Measures of Early Care and Education on Kidsdata.org
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On kidsdata.org, indicators of early childhood care and education include:
- The percentage of children ages 0-5 whose parents read with them, by weekly frequency
- Single-year estimates of the percentage of children ages 3-5 enrolled in preschool or kindergarten, by county and county group, and—for the U.S. and California—by age and by race/ethnicity; also available are five-year estimates for cities, school districts, and counties with at least 10,000 residents and for legislative districts
- The median annual cost of child care in child care centers and family child care homes, by age group
- The percentage of children in working families for whom child care spaces are available
- The number of child care spaces in licensed facilities and the percentage of full-time and part-time spaces available
- The number of licensed child care facilities and the percentage of facilities offering evening, weekend or overnight care
- The percentage of child care requests by age group and the percentage of requests for evening, weekend or overnight care
*The California Child Care Resource and Referral Network tracks licensed facilities (child care centers and family child care homes) providing care for children during all or part of the day. Data are available for licensed facilities only. Many families use license-exempt care, such as child care provided by relatives or friends. -
- Early Care and Education
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- Young Children Whose Parents Read with Them, by Frequency
- Children Ages 3-5 Enrolled in Preschool or Kindergarten
- Children Ages 3-5 Enrolled in Preschool or Kindergarten (Regions of 10,000 Residents or More)
- Annual Cost of Child Care, by Age Group and Facility Type
- Availability of Child Care for Working Families
- Child Care Spaces in Licensed Facilities, by Facility Type
- Licensed Child Care Facilities, by Type
- Licensed Child Care Facilities Offering Evening, Weekend or Overnight Care, by Facility Type
- Requests for Child Care, by Age Group
- Requests for Evening, Weekend or Overnight Child Care
- Family Income and Poverty
- Unemployment
- Why This Topic Is Important
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Experiences during early childhood lay the foundation for future health and well being, and the quality of children's early care and education (ECE) can have significant, lasting effects (1). High-quality ECE programs deliver evidence-based learning opportunities that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate, along with emotionally responsive care that supports the whole child (1). Participation in quality ECE programs before age 5 is associated with improved cognitive, social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health, as well as increased school readiness, academic achievement, and earnings in adulthood (1). Positive outcomes are particularly pronounced for children from low-income families, children of color, and those at risk for academic challenges, such as children with disabilities and those with a first language other than English—groups who often face the greatest barriers to accessing high-quality ECE (1). The benefits of quality ECE extend beyond individuals to society overall, as improved long-term outcomes can reduce the need for more costly interventions later in life (1).
A critically important ECE need for many families is child care. Reliable child care can help families move out of poverty and achieve financial stability by enabling parents to work or pursue education and job training (2). However, finding affordable, high-quality child care is a major challenge for many families, especially in California, and access differs based on geography, income, race/ethnicity, language, and disability status (1, 2). California consistently ranks among the least affordable states for center-based infant care in the nation (2). According to a 2023 report, costs for center-based infant care in California made up an estimated 15% of the median annual income for married couples and 47% for single parents—well above federal recommendations that child care should cost at most 7% of a families’ annual income (2). Unaffordable child care has a large-scale impact on California's economy, with unmet needs for infant and toddler care alone estimated to cost the state $17 billion annually in lost productivity, wages, and tax revenue (3).For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.
Sources for this narrative:
1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2024). A new vision for high-quality preschool curriculum. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27429/a-new-vision-for-high-quality-preschool-curriculum
2. Child Care Aware of America. (2023). Child care at a standstill: Price and landscape analysis. Retrieved from: https://www.childcareaware.org/thechildcarestandstill
3. Bishop, S. (2023). $122 billion: The growing, annual cost of the infant-toddler child care crisis. ReadyNation. Retrieved from: https://www.strongnation.org/articles/2038-122-billion-the-growing-annual-cost-of-the-infant-toddler-child-care-crisis - How Children Are Faring
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California's 35,836 licensed child care centers and family child care homes provided 990,332 child care spaces in 2023—up more than 27,000 spaces from 2021, but still more than 93,000 spaces lower than 2008. According to 2023 estimates, there was one licensed child care space available for every four California children ages 0-12 with working parents; in some counties, availability was lower than one space for every six children.
In 2022, median annual costs for full-time licensed infant care at the county level ranged from $11,500 to $31,500 in child care centers and from $9,900 to $21,200 in family child care homes. Across counties, care for toddlers and preschoolers was generally less expensive, but also showed wide variation, from $7,600 to $24,800 annually in child care centers and from $9,000 to $21,300 in family child care homes.
An estimated 51% of California children ages 3-5 were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten in 2021, down from more than 60% between 2007 and 2019. U.S. figures followed a similar trend over this period. Statewide and nationally, percentages have fallen for each age and race/ethnicity group with data—e.g., the percentage of California four-year-olds enrolled in pre-primary programs dropped by almost a third between 2019 and 2021, from 63% to 45%. - Policy Implications
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Early childhood is a critical period of biological, cognitive, and social-emotional development (1). The quality of children's environments and experiences during these years has lasting effects (1). High-quality early care and education (ECE), in particular, can have positive, long-term impacts ranging from improved cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning to better health, educational attainment, and earnings later in life (1). Access to high-quality ECE helps prepare children for kindergarten and can close early gaps in academic achievement that often widen with age (1, 2). Leaders increasingly see investments in ECE as a way to reduce educational and health inequities and improve outcomes for historically underserved groups (1). Decades of research show these investments pay off; for example, every $1 invested in high-quality ECE yields an estimated return of about $7 in social benefits (2). ECE also plays a critical role in family financial stability, as many parents need child care in order to work or go to school (3).
However, a significant number of families have difficulty accessing quality ECE, especially in California, due to a lack of program availability and affordability (1, 3). California is consistently ranked among the least affordable states for child care in the nation, and just 11% of the state's eligible children receive subsidized care (4, 5). Although the state has made significant progress in recent years, additional long-term efforts and investments are needed to build a high-quality, accessible, and affordable system, along with a diverse, skilled, and adequately compensated ECE workforce (3).
Policy and program options that could improve ECE include:- Building and establishing stable funding for a comprehensive ECE system, improving infrastructure and coordination, incentivizing program quality, and prioritizing care for infants, toddlers, and children with the greatest needs (1, 3)
- Increasing substantially the numbers of young children receiving child care subsidies and preschoolers enrolled in the California State Preschool Program, while creating adequate capacity for high-quality, universal preschool for all children ages 3-4, ensuring programs reach the most vulnerable children and are responsive to families’ needs (3, 5, 6)
- Supporting ECE programs in meeting established quality benchmarks, such as staff-child ratios and teacher training, and continuing to strengthen California's ECE quality improvement and standards systems, prioritizing equity and making sure that all publicly-funded programs participate in a continuous improvement process and have access to coaching or other program support (1, 2, 3)
- Continuing efforts to strengthen, diversify, and expand the state's ECE workforce infrastructure, providing clear pathways for career advancement, living wages for providers, and coordinated, standardized, high-quality professional training and support (3)
- Ensuring that all California children receive developmental screenings and have access to quality early intervention and other support services, delivered by a well-trained, diverse workforce; also, improving alignment and transitions between systems for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and K-12 students, especially students with special needs (3)
For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section or visit the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Also see Policy Implications under Family Economics and Education topics on kidsdata.org.
Sources for this narrative:
1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). Closing the opportunity gap for young children. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26743/closing-the-opportunity-gap-for-young-children
2. Meek, S., et al. (2024). Equity for children in the United States. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/equity-for-children-in-the-united-states/FF6C99C1EAD63628D2F868C79F503BD7
3. Children Now. (2024). 2024 California children's report card: A survey of kids’ well-being and roadmap for the future. Retrieved from: https://www.childrennow.org/portfolio-posts/2024-california-childrens-report-card
4. Child Care Aware of America. (2023). Child care at a standstill: Price and landscape analysis. Retrieved from: https://www.childcareaware.org/thechildcarestandstill
5. Pryor, L. (2024). California’s child care system serves only a fraction of eligible children. California Budget and Policy Center. Retrieved from: https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/californias-child-care-system-serves-only-a-fraction-of-eligible-children
5. Saucedo, E. (2024). State preschool enrollment and opportunity to serve more California families. California Budget and Policy Center. Retrieved from: https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/state-preschool-enrollment-opportunity-to-serve-more-california-families - Research & Links
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- Websites with Related Information
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- California Budget and Policy Center: Child Care and Preschool
- California Child Care Resource and Referral Network
- California Education GPS. Alliance for Continuous Improvement.
- California School Boards Association: Governance and Policy Resources
- Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): Child Care and Early Education
- Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.
- Child Trends: Early Childhood
- IssueLab: Children and Youth. Candid.
- MDRC: Early Childhood
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
- National Center for Children in Poverty. Bank Street Graduate School of Education.
- National Institute for Early Education Research. Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
- Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis
- Start Early
- U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families: Office of Child Care
- Zero to Three
- Key Reports and Research
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- 2024 California Children's Report Card. Children Now.
- Access to High-Quality Early Education and Racial Equity. (2020). National Institute for Early Education Research. Friedman-Krauss, A., & Barnett, S.
- An Update on the Portrait of Promise: Demographic Report on Health and Mental Health Equity in California. (2020). California Dept. of Public Health, Office of Health Equity.
- Building an Early Learning System that Works: Next Steps for California. (2018). Learning Policy Institute. Melnick, H., et al.
- California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education: Final Report. (2019).
- Child Care at a Standstill: Price and Landscape Analysis. (2023). Child Care Aware of America.
- Data Dashboard: An Overview of Child Care and Early Learning in the United States. Center for American Progress. Schneider, A., & Gibbs, H.
- Early Childhood Education in California. (2018). Getting Down to Facts II. Stipek, D.
- Equity in Early Childhood Systems: A Community Action Brief. (2019). Center for the Study of Social Policy & National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers.
- Kids' Share: Analyzing Federal Expenditures on Children. Urban Institute.
- Mitigating the Effects of Trauma Among Young Children of Immigrants and Refugees: The Role of Early Childhood Programs. (2019). Migration Policy Institute. Park, M., & Katsiaficas, C.
- Quality Early Education and Child Care from Birth to Kindergarten. (2017). Pediatrics. Donoghue, E. A., & American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Early Childhood.
- Research-Practice Partnerships to Strengthen Early Education. (2021). The Future of Children.
- School Readiness. (2019). Pediatrics. Williams, P. G., et al.
- State of Preschool Yearbook. National Institute for Early Education Research.
- The High Cost of Child Care Underscores the Need for Supporting Families With Children of All Ages. (2019). California Budget and Policy Center. Schumacher, K.
- Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education. (2018). National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- Using Data to Support a Comprehensive System of Early Learning and Care in California. (2020). SRI International. Coffey, M., et al.
- Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity. (2019). National Academies Press. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- County/Regional Reports
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- 2025 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being. Children Now.
- Alameda County Early Care and Education Needs Assessment. (2021). First 5 Alameda County & Alameda County Early Care and Education Planning Council.
- Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County. Orange County Children's Partnership.
- Community Health Equity Improvement Plan for Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.
- Community Health Profiles. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health.
- Eliminating the Burden of Preschool Costs: Modeling the Impacts of Universal Preschool on Family and Community Wellbeing, Santa Clara County. (2022). Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Institute for Regional Studies. Massaro, R., & Young, H.
- Live Well San Diego Report Card on Children, Families, and Community. The Children’s Initiative.
- Pathway to Progress: Indicators of Young Child Well-Being in Los Angeles County. First 5 LA.
- San Francisco Early Care and Education Needs Assessment. San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council.
- Santa Monica Youth Wellbeing Report Card. Santa Monica Cradle to Career.
- More Data Sources For Early Care and Education
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- 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being. Annie E. Casey Foundation.
- California Child Care Portfolio. California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
- California Health Interview Survey. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
- Child Care and Early Learning in the United States. Center for American Progres.
- National Center for Education Statistics: Data and Tools. U.S. Dept. of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.
- National Survey of Children's Health. Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.
- Upward Mobility Data Dashboard. Urban Institute.
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