Daycare in Queen Anne.

Queen Anne sits on a steep hill just north of downtown Seattle, with the Space Needle and Seattle Center anchoring its southern edge and the residential crown of Upper Queen Anne perched at the top. The neighborhood splits into two functional sub-areas for families: Lower Queen Anne, also called Uptown, which carries the Climate Pledge Arena, Mercer Street corridor, and a wave of mid-rise apartments tied to the South Lake Union and Expedia campuses; and Upper Queen Anne, organized around the Queen Anne Avenue North commercial strip on the hilltop. The under-five population skews professional and dual-income, and the daycare map carries a heavy mix of private centers, a handful of Reggio- and Montessori-influenced programs, and a smaller but steady supply of DCYF-licensed family home child cares on the side streets. Queen Anne sits in the upper band of Seattle pricing, a function of high commercial rent on the avenue and the share of infant-room demand from South Lake Union commuters.

What you'll actually pay

In 2026 dollars, full-time center-based daycare in Queen Anne runs roughly $2,250 to $2,875 per month for infants and roughly $1,825 to $2,400 per month for preschool-age children, drawing on the National Database of Childcare Prices for King County and on DCYF licensing data. DCYF-licensed family child care homes price lower, in the $1,375 to $1,925 per month range for infants, and nanny shares run $2,200 to $2,800 per child per month at prevailing Seattle sitter rates.

The infant premium tracks Washington's licensing rule under WAC 110-300: ratios are 1 staff to 4 infants under twelve months in a center, with a maximum group size of 8, and square-footage requirements limit how many infant slots a Queen Anne center can carry. Lower Queen Anne tuition sits in the upper band of the Seattle market because Mercer Street and Roy Street commercial rents are among the highest north of downtown, and because South Lake Union commuters anchor demand for the dedicated infant rooms that command the steepest rates.

DCYF licensing and the early achievers rating

Every Queen Anne center and every family child care home is licensed by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) under WAC 110-300. The regulation sets staff-to-child ratios, background checks, square-footage minimums, curriculum standards, and incident reporting. DCYF issues an Early Achievers rating from Level 2 to Level 5 based on staff education, program standards, and compliance history. A Queen Anne family touring centers should pull the licensing record and Early Achievers rating from the DCYF public portal before signing a deposit. Washington also publishes early learning and development standards that participating providers align to.

ECEAP and the Seattle Preschool Program

Washington runs two routes that Queen Anne families with four-year-olds should both know. ECEAP is a state-funded preschool program for income-eligible four-year-olds, administered locally through the King County ECEAP regional office at Public Health - Seattle and King County. The program operates in community-based partner classrooms and inside several Seattle Preschool Program buildings. Eligibility runs through 137 percent of the federal poverty level for ECEAP, with priority for families also experiencing other risk factors. The second route is the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), administered by the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning, which provides sliding-scale and free Pre-K seats across centers and Seattle Public Schools buildings. Applications for both run in the same winter window before the fall start.

Washington Working Connections

Income-eligible families can apply for the Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) subsidy, the state child care subsidy administered through DCYF and accessed through the King County Child Care Resources office. The subsidy pays part of the cost at a participating DCYF-licensed provider, with a family parent fee set on a sliding scale based on household income and family size. The subsidy can be used at a center or a DCYF-licensed family child care home with an open subsidized slot. Washington moved Working Connections reimbursement to the 85th percentile of the regional market rate after the 2021 Fair Start for Kids Act, raised eligibility to 60 percent of state median income, and capped family copays at 7 percent of household income.

Federal credits and the Washington stack

Three federal tools stack on top of any ECEAP seat or Working Connections subsidy: the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit on IRS Form 2441, the Dependent Care FSA (up to $5,000 per household per year of pre-tax savings), and the federal Child Tax Credit. Washington adds the Washington Working Families Tax Credit (a state refund of up to $1,290 for income-eligible families with children), and the state has no personal income tax, so no state Child and Dependent Care Credit overlays the federal credit. A two-earner Queen Anne household paying the full private rate typically recovers $1,900 to $2,500 in combined federal tax savings on the $5,000 FSA alone, plus state credits.

Sample Queen Anne centers

Listings reflect editorial picks, not paid placements, and pricing is the published rate before any subsidized seat or federal and state tax credit. Verified by DaycareSquare editorial — last reviewed May 2026. Full Queen Anne listings directory is in progress.

Frequently asked

Where to go next

Walk through the cost calculator to model your Queen Anne year with the FSA, the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the Washington Working Families Tax Credit factored in. Read our Washington ECEAP and SPP explainer, the Seattle cost overview, the broader cost pillar, and our daycare comparison checklist before you book visits. For neighboring areas, see Fremont daycare and Ballard daycare, or step back to all Seattle.