Daycare directory · Wichita, KS

Daycare in Wichita.

Published ·Updated

310+ licensed providers across Wichita, with verified 2026 tuition ranges, parent reviews, and a clearer path to subsidies and free Pre-K seats. Always free for families. Kansas requires a strict 1:3 infant ratio, which keeps quality high even at moderate prices.

310+
Verified providers
$650
Starting monthly tuition
3 mo
Median infant waitlist
Browse Wichita daycares → Estimate your cost
Wichita skyline along the Arkansas River
2026 cost overview

What daycare actually costs in Wichita.

Tuition ranges are full-time, center-based monthly rates pulled from 310+ Wichita providers and cross-checked against Kansas the Health and Environment.

Infant (6 wk – 15 mo)
Infant care
$800 to $1,250
per month, full-time

College Hill, Riverside, and Crown Heights centers cluster near the top. South and southeast Wichita family child cares often come in $150 to $250 below.

Toddler (15 mo – 3 yr)
Toddler care
$700 to $1,100
per month, full-time

Kansas licensing shifts ratios at 24 months, which typically drops monthly tuition. Three-Star-rated programs in Wichita charge $50 to $150 above the median for the higher staffing.

Preschool (3 – 5 yr)
Preschool
$650 to $950
per month, full-time

Wichita Public Schools' Pre-K (USD 259) offers free full-day seats for income-eligible four-year-olds at neighborhood elementaries, plus partner daycares.

Sources: Kansas Department of Health and Environment Child Care Licensing, Child Care Aware of Kansas, Child Care Aware of America 2025 Kansas state report, DaycareSquare Wichita operator survey (Q1 2026). Updated May 2026.

Featured providers

A sample of Wichita daycares.

Eight illustrative examples of local daycares. A searchable directory of verified, state-licensed providers is rolling out — these examples show the local landscape for now.

College Hill Children's Center
NAEYC accredited
College Hill Children's Center
College Hill · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $1,200/mo
Riverside Early Learning
Premium listing
Riverside Early Learning
Riverside · 12 wk – 5 yr
From $1,100/mo
Crown Heights Christian Daycare
Faith-based
Crown Heights Christian Daycare
Crown Heights · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $1,000/mo
Eastborough Montessori
Montessori
Eastborough Montessori
Eastborough · 18 mo – 6 yr
From $1,150/mo
Northwest Wichita Family Care
Home-based
Northwest Wichita Family Care
Northwest Wichita · 6 mo – 5 yr
From $900/mo
South Wichita KinderCare
Three-Star
South Wichita KinderCare
South Wichita · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $850/mo
Andover Early Learning Center
Premium listing
Andover Early Learning Center
Andover border · 6 wk – 5 yr
From $1,000/mo
Wichita Public Schools Pre-K
Free Pre-K
Wichita Public Schools Pre-K
Multiple sites · 4 yr
From $0/mo (free)
See all 310+ Wichita daycares →
By neighborhood

Daycare in your neighborhood.

Wichita tuition can vary by hundreds of dollars per month across a few miles. These are the neighborhoods with the most active providers in our directory.

College Hill
32 daycares · From $1,050
Riverside
28 daycares · From $1,000
Crown Heights
24 daycares · From $1,000
Eastborough
22 daycares · From $1,050
Northeast Wichita
44 daycares · From $850
Northwest Wichita
48 daycares · From $900
South Wichita
52 daycares · From $750
Southeast Wichita
38 daycares · From $750
West Wichita
42 daycares · From $850
Bel Aire
18 daycares · From $900
Andover border
22 daycares · From $950
Derby border
20 daycares · From $850

A short, honest guide to Wichita daycare.

Wichita offers one of the more affordable urban daycare markets in the country, paired with one of the strictest infant ratios. Kansas requires 1:3 infant staffing in licensed centers, which keeps quality high even at moderate prices. College Hill, Riverside, and Crown Heights anchor the high end of the Wichita market; northwest and west Wichita sit in the middle; south and southeast Wichita and the surrounding suburbs hold most of the city's family child care supply.

Kansas licensing and ratios

Kansas requires a 1:3 infant ratio (one of the strictest in the country), 1:7 for toddlers, and 1:12 for older preschoolers in licensed centers. Three-Star-rated programs commonly operate below those minimums. Every legal daycare in Kansas is licensed by Kansas Department of Health and Environment and listed on Kansas KDHE's licensed child care facility search. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked against that source monthly.

Source: Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2025-2026 licensing data.

Where Wichita parents tend to overpay

  • Premium centers when a comparable program a few neighborhoods over costs 15 to 25 percent less.
  • Add-on enrichment fees (music, language, sports) that quietly raise the monthly bill after enrollment.
  • Annual registration and supply fees that are not disclosed on the website. Ask for the all-in monthly figure before you tour.

Financial help

Working families earning under 85 percent of state median income may qualify for Kansas Child Care Subsidy. Wichita Public Schools and several Sedgwick County districts offer free or sliding-scale Pre-K for income-eligible four-year-olds. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care FSA. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math at common Wichita income levels.

Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list for a side-by-side scoring sheet.

Related reading for Wichita families

Frequently asked

Daycare in Wichita.

How much does daycare cost in Wichita?
Full-time center-based daycare in Wichita runs $650 to $1,250 per month in 2026, depending on age and neighborhood. Premium centers cluster at the top of the range; family child care and moderate neighborhoods sit at the lower end.
How long is the waitlist for Wichita daycare?
Our 2026 Wichita operator survey found a median infant waitlist of three months. Flagship centers in the most in-demand neighborhoods can stretch longer. Toddler and preschool seats commonly turn over within one to three months across the city.
Who licenses daycares in Kansas?
Every legal daycare in Kansas is licensed by Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked against that database monthly.
What is the staff-to-child ratio in Kansas daycares?
Kansas requires a 1:3 infant ratio (one of the strictest in the country), 1:7 for toddlers, and 1:12 for older preschoolers in licensed centers. Three-Star-rated programs commonly operate below those minimums.
Can I get help paying for daycare in Wichita?
Working families earning under 85 percent of state median income may qualify for Kansas Child Care Subsidy. Wichita Public Schools and several Sedgwick County districts offer free or sliding-scale Pre-K for income-eligible four-year-olds. All families can also use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care FSA. Read our tax credit explainer.
How do I tour a Wichita daycare?
Use our free tour questions list and the DaycareSquare comparison checklist to score every tour on the same 27 questions. Most Wichita centers offer in-person tours weekday mornings.
Keep going

Useful next steps.

Statewide

Daycare in Kansas

Costs, licensing, and subsidy programs across all of Kansas, not just Wichita.

View state page → Free tool

Wichita cost calculator

Plug in your ZIP, child age, and care type. Get your personal monthly range in about sixty seconds.

Try the calculator → Free download

Comparison checklist

Twenty-seven questions to ask at every tour, plus a side-by-side scoring sheet. PDF.

Get the checklist →
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