Key takeaway: Infant care at a Hawaiʻi childcare center averaged $24,115 a year in 2024, about $2,010 a month (Child Care Aware of America). Preschool Open Doors pays up to $1,500 a month, and free public pre-K now has 117 classrooms. Numbers checked October 30, 2026.
Average prices
| Type of care | Center | Family childcare home |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $24,115/yr | $11,632/yr |
| Toddler | $18,882/yr | |
| 4-year-old | $13,992/yr | $11,028/yr |
| School-age | $7,402/yr | $10,694/yr |
Statewide averages, 2024 data. Sources: Child Care Aware of America; DBEDT Data Book Table 14.14.
That infant center price is 18% of the median income of a married couple with children in Hawaiʻi, and 49% for a single parent (Child Care Aware). Honolulu prices can run higher. A February 2026 report put infant care in Honolulu at about $3,045 a month (Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Feb 2026).
By island
There is no recent breakdown by county. The last one, from Child Care Aware in 2018, is too old to use for prices today (2018 county sheet). On the smaller islands, supply is often a bigger problem than price.
Help with the cost
- Preschool Open Doors: a state subsidy of up to $1,500 a month at accredited preschools, or $1,200 at licensed ones, for the 2026–27 school year. Income limit for a family of four: $15,813 a month (Hawaiʻi DHS).
- Ready Keiki public pre-K: free classes for 3- and 4-year-olds, with 117 classrooms at 89 locations as of April 2026, up from 37 in 2022 (Maui Now).