Allentown is the affordable end of the Pennsylvania childcare market, well below Philadelphia, with a steady spread across the Lehigh Valley. The Emmaus, Macungie, and Lower Macungie suburbs set the local top. Center City Allentown and the older East Side and South Side neighborhoods sit at the bottom. Pennsylvania keeps subsidy and quality in one system (Child Care Works plus Keystone STARS), which makes the math easier to check.
Reviewed by: a credentialed early-childhood reviewer (pending assignment).
In 2026 dollars, full-time center-based daycare in Allentown runs roughly $950 to $1,350 per month for infants and roughly $800 to $1,150 per month for preschool-age children. Licensed family child care homes typically charge 25 to 35 percent less than centers in the same area. These ranges draw on the National Database of Childcare Prices for Lehigh County, the Pennsylvania OCDEL market-rate survey, and our own operator survey, not single-point averages.
Infant care in Allentown prices 25 to 35 percent above preschool-age care because of staffing ratios. Pennsylvania sets a tighter center infant ratio than for older children, and paying credentialed caregivers across small infant rooms is the most expensive line in any center's budget, per 2025 BLS wage data for Pennsylvania childcare workers.
Costs across the Lehigh Valley track the housing market. Emmaus, Macungie, and Lower Macungie sit at the top of the range. Whitehall, South Whitehall, and the Bethlehem edge sit in the middle, and Center City Allentown and the older East and South Sides sit at the bottom. The table shows licensed care at the better-rated programs in each area, per our operator survey and the National Database of Childcare Prices.
| Area | Infant, center | Preschool, center | Family child care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmaus, Macungie, Lower Macungie | $1,250–$1,350 / month | $1,050–$1,150 / month | $925–$1,025 / month |
| South Whitehall, Upper Macungie | $1,175–$1,300 / month | $975–$1,075 / month | $875–$950 / month |
| West End, West Park | $1,100–$1,225 / month | $925–$1,025 / month | $825–$900 / month |
| Whitehall, Bethlehem edge | $1,025–$1,150 / month | $875–$975 / month | $775–$850 / month |
| East Side, South Side Allentown | $975–$1,075 / month | $825–$900 / month | $725–$800 / month |
| Center City Allentown | $950–$1,050 / month | $800–$875 / month | $700–$775 / month |
These ranges represent licensed care at Keystone STARS 3 and 4 centers and accredited sites, not subsidized seats. The western suburbs sit at the top of the local range; Center City and the older South and East Sides sit at the bottom, though still above the rural eastern Pennsylvania median.
For working families on a tight budget, Child Care Works (CCW) is Pennsylvania's federal CCDF subsidy. Run by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning and administered locally by the Early Learning Resource Center for Lehigh and Northampton counties, it covers a portion of licensed child care, with a family co-payment tied to income. Approved families use a provider participating in Keystone STARS, the state's quality system.
Keystone STARS rates participating programs from STAR 1 to STAR 4, with STAR 3 and STAR 4 treated as the quality benchmark. When you tour an Emmaus, West End, or Whitehall center, the STAR level is the single most useful state-published quality signal. Our Pennsylvania childcare subsidy guide walks through the CCW income limits and the Early Learning Resource Center application, and the subsidized daycare explainer covers the federal program overall.
Heads up. Pre-K Counts, Pennsylvania's state-funded preschool, covers part of the three- and four-year-old years but has limited seats and income priorities, so it is not guaranteed. Apply through the Early Learning Resource Center early, confirm your chosen provider participates in Child Care Works and holds a Keystone STARS rating, and keep your eligibility paperwork current before you build the subsidy into your budget.
Three federal tools stack on top of any Child Care Works or Pre-K Counts placement: the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit on IRS Form 2441, a Dependent Care FSA at most employers (up to $5,000 per family per year of pre-tax savings), and the federal Child Tax Credit. Pennsylvania also offers a state Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit that matches a share of the federal credit, per the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Lehigh Valley Health Network, St. Luke's University Health Network, Air Products, PPL, and most major Allentown employers offer a Dependent Care FSA.
A two-earner Allentown household typically recovers the full $5,000 Dependent Care FSA benefit, worth roughly $1,100 to $1,400 in federal tax savings depending on marginal rate, with the federal and Pennsylvania state child care credits recovering several hundred dollars more on top.
A two-income West End family with a one-year-old in full-time licensed center care spends roughly $1,100 to $1,225 per month, or $13,200 to $14,700 per year, per the National Database of Childcare Prices for Lehigh County and our operator survey.
If the family qualifies for Child Care Works, with income within the program limits and both parents working, the family co-payment covers part of the cost while the subsidy covers the balance at a Keystone STARS provider.
A Dependent Care FSA recovers $5,000 in pre-tax savings, with the federal and Pennsylvania state child care credits on top. Aging the child out of the infant room the next year drops the base cost by roughly $200 to $300 a month.
Walk through the cost calculator to model your own Allentown year with Child Care Works, Pre-K Counts, the FSA, and the federal and state credits factored in. Use the comparison checklist and tour questions when you start visiting centers. For the statewide picture, read the Pennsylvania cost overview and the broader daycare cost pillar.
Compare with the rest of Pennsylvania in our Philadelphia and Pittsburgh cost guides. A dedicated Allentown city guide is on the way.
How Allentown compares with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, plus Child Care Works, Keystone STARS, and Pre-K Counts.
Read → SubsidyChild Care Works income limits, the Early Learning Resource Center application, and how Keystone STARS fits in.
Read → ToolModel your Allentown daycare year with Child Care Works and the federal and state credits factored in.
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