Daycare in Hollywood.

Hollywood is one of the most varied daycare markets in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Hills price like the Westside, the East Hollywood and Thai Town blocks price like Mid-City, and the Franklin Avenue corridor sits in between. Every Hollywood family enrolls in LAUSD, which means California's Universal Transitional Kindergarten expansion is now the single biggest variable in what the year a child turns four actually costs. The neighborhood also has a deep stock of Title 22 family child care homes, particularly in the residential blocks east of Vermont Avenue.

What you'll actually pay

In 2026 dollars, full-time center-based daycare in Hollywood runs roughly $1,750 to $2,250 per month for infants and roughly $1,450 to $1,850 per month for preschool-age children, drawing on the National Database of Childcare Prices for Los Angeles County and on LA County Child Care Resource and Referral rate work for Central LA. Title 22 family child care is a sizeable share of supply across the neighborhood, and family child care rates are typically $1,250 to $1,500 per month for infants. Nanny shares run $1,400 to $1,700 per child per month.

The infant premium in Hollywood reflects the California Title 22 one-to-four ratio for children under 24 months under CCR 101216.5 and the LA-wide shortage of credentialed infant teachers more than it reflects neighborhood rent. Families who can wait for a child to turn 24 months see a $300 to $600 monthly drop at the same center as the room transitions from the infant ratio to the toddler one-to-six ratio.

UTK and LAUSD Early Education Centers in Hollywood

Hollywood families enroll in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest school district in the country. California's Universal Transitional Kindergarten expansion under SB 130 has now reached all four-year-olds who turn four by September 1, with full universal eligibility phased in for the 2025-2026 school year. LAUSD runs UTK at most elementary campuses, including the Hollywood-area schools at Cheremoya Avenue, Grant Elementary, Hollywood High Primary Center, and Selma Avenue Elementary. UTK is free and follows the LAUSD school-year calendar.

LAUSD also operates the Early Education Centers (EEC) network, a free or low-cost preschool program for three- and four-year-olds with priority for income-eligible families under the California State Preschool Program (CSPP). The Hollywood area is served by several LAUSD EEC sites, including locations on Selma Avenue, Wilton Place, and Hobart Boulevard. For families who do not qualify for CSPP, the EEC sites operate a separate fee-based program that is meaningfully below the LA County private-center average.

CalWORKs and the Alternative Payment network

California's three-stage CalWORKs child care system covers families on or recently exiting CalWORKs cash aid. Stages 1, 2, and 3 are time-limited, with Stage 2 carrying families up to two years post-CalWORKs and Stage 3 picking up afterwards subject to income eligibility. Outside CalWORKs, the Alternative Payment (AP) program serves income-eligible families up to 85 percent of the state median income. In LA County, AP vouchers are administered by a small set of nonprofits, including Crystal Stairs (which is the primary administrator for Central LA, Hollywood, and South LA), Connections for Children for the Westside, Children's Home Society of California, and Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) for parts of the Valley. A Hollywood family applies through Crystal Stairs for the AP voucher.

Federal credits and the California stack

Three federal tools stack on top of any AP voucher or UTK placement: the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit on IRS Form 2441, the Dependent Care FSA (up to $5,000 per family per year of pre-tax savings), and the federal Child Tax Credit. California adds the refundable Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) and the state Child and Dependent Care Expenses Credit. A two-earner Hollywood household paying close to the full private rate typically recovers $1,500 to $2,100 in combined federal tax savings on the $5,000 FSA alone, with several hundred more available through the California credit stack depending on income and child count.

Sample Hollywood centers

Listings reflect editorial picks, not paid placements, and pricing is the licensed published rate before any AP voucher or federal and California tax credit. Full Hollywood listings directory is in progress.

Where to go next

Walk through the cost calculator to model your Hollywood year with the FSA, the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the California stack factored in. Read our California Universal TK explainer for the SB 130 rollout and the LAUSD enrollment timeline, the LA cost overview, the broader cost pillar, and our affordable daycare options guide for the AP voucher and CSPP pathways. For neighboring LA neighborhoods, see West Hollywood daycare and Silver Lake daycare, or step back to all Los Angeles.