What Childcare Costs Per Hour in Seattle
Monthly tuition is a misleading way to compare childcare. A co-op at $80/month for two mornings a week and a center at $3,620/month for 50+ hours a week look like a 45x gap. The real cost difference per hour of care is much smaller. This report normalizes every provider’s price to cost per care hour — what you actually pay for each hour your child is in the program.
The real gap: 26x, not 45x. When you normalize for schedule, the cheapest option (Little Trailblazers – West Seattle at $1.03/hr for 5 days × 9 hours) and the most expensive (St. Thomas School at $26.36/hr for 5 days × 3.75 hours) reveal a different story than monthly tuition alone suggests. But most providers cluster between $4–$12/hr.
How We Calculate Cost Per Hour
Formula: monthly tuition ÷ (days per week × 4.33 weeks × hours per day). We only show $/hr where we have schedule data for a provider — no defaults, no estimates. 102 of 192 Seattle-area providers currently have complete data.
The Most Expensive Neighborhoods (by $/hr)
High $/hr doesn't always mean high monthly bills. Some programs are expensive per hour because they run short schedules (3–4 hours/day), even if monthly tuition looks moderate.
| Neighborhood | Providers | Avg $/hr | $/hr Range | Avg Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medina | 1 | $26.36 | $26.36 | $2,140 |
| U-District | 1 | $17.78 | $17.78 | $3,465 |
| Central District | 1 | $12.17 | $12.17 | $2,371 |
| Crown Hill | 1 | $11.09 | $11.09 | $2,400 |
| Downtown | 1 | $10.93 | $10.93 | $2,425 |
| Madison Valley | 3 | $10.60 | $8.43–$13.69 | $1,634 |
| Lake City | 1 | $10.32 | $10.32 | $1,955 |
The Most Affordable Neighborhoods (by $/hr)
Low $/hr reflects programs that run longer hours or more days per week — spreading the monthly cost across more care hours. Co-ops appear here because their parent-participation model keeps costs down.
| Neighborhood | Providers | Avg $/hr | $/hr Range | Avg Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | 3 | $5.58 | $4.40–$6.47 | $1,267 |
| West Seattle | 6 | $5.23 | $1.03–$8.55 | $1,031 |
| Edmonds | 1 | $5.17 | $5.17 | $699 |
| Bryant | 1 | $5.11 | $5.11 | $1,050 |
| White Center | 1 | $4.62 | $4.62 | $150 |
| Victory Heights | 1 | $4.62 | $4.62 | $80 |
| Sand Point | 1 | $4.38 | $4.38 | $1,042 |
Eastside: Cost Per Hour
Eastside neighborhoods run $5–$8/hr on average, comparable to Seattle-proper when normalized for schedule. Centers that look cheaper on monthly tuition often run fewer hours.
| Neighborhood | Providers | Avg $/hr | $/hr Range | Avg Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medina | 1 | $26.36 | $26.36 | $2,140 |
| Bellevue | 13 | $7.80 | $4.04–$10.56 | $1,495 |
| Sammamish | 4 | $7.33 | $5.17–$9.85 | $1,280 |
| Kirkland | 4 | $6.81 | $5.54–$8.31 | $1,475 |
| Snoqualmie | 3 | $6.72 | $6.30–$7.56 | $1,600 |
| Mercer Island | 10 | $6.43 | $3.70–$9.24 | $1,311 |
| Redmond | 3 | $5.58 | $4.40–$6.47 | $1,267 |
| Edmonds | 1 | $5.17 | $5.17 | $699 |
Key Findings
Monthly tuition is unreliable for comparison. A $1,200/month program running 5 full days costs $5.54/hr. A $1,200/month program running 3 mornings (3.25 hours each) costs $28.42/hr. Same tuition, 5x the hourly cost. Always ask about the schedule.
Co-ops are the lowest $/hr — but that's misleading. Co-op tuition is low because parents contribute labor. The real cost includes 4–8 hours/week of parent volunteer time. Factor that in and the value equation shifts.
Most programs cluster between $4–$12/hr. Despite the $1.03–$26.36 range, 87% of providers fall in the $4–$12/hr band. The outliers are part-time programs (high $/hr) and co-ops (low $/hr).
Methodology
Cost per hour = monthly tuition ÷ (days per week × 4.33 × hours per day). We only calculate $/hr where we have schedule data (days and hours) — no defaults or estimates. 102 of 192 Seattle-area providers have complete data. Pricing data comes from provider websites, licensing records, and direct provider contact. All prices as of March 2026. For full scoring methodology, see shortlist.guide/methodology.html.
Source: Shortlist original research, March 2026. 102 providers with schedule data across 33 neighborhoods in Seattle and the Eastside. Data available for media use with attribution to Shortlist (shortlist.guide). Contact: diana@shortlist.guide