Reno sits in Washoe County, Nevada, and the Reno-Sparks area has grown fast as Tahoe-area tech and logistics employers expanded, pulling daycare prices up with housing. South Reno, Somersett, and Caughlin Ranch set the top of the range. Downtown Reno, Sparks, and the older central neighborhoods sit at the bottom. Nevada funds no universal pre-K, and its child care subsidy is administered locally by The Children's Cabinet, so most families plan for private tuition until kindergarten.
Reviewed by: a credentialed early-childhood reviewer (pending assignment).
In 2026 dollars, full-time center-based daycare in Reno, Nevada runs roughly $950 to $1,350 per month for infant care and roughly $800 to $1,100 per month for preschool-age care, which puts Reno around the Western interior median, below coastal California but above much of the rural Mountain West. Licensed family child care typically charges 15 to 25 percent less than centers in the same part of town. These ranges come from the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices for Washoe County and the Nevada child care market rate survey, not single-point averages.
Infant care in Reno prices 25 to 35 percent above preschool-age care because of staffing ratios. Nevada sets a tighter caregiver-to-infant ratio for the youngest infants than for preschoolers, so a center pays more adults to cover an infant room than a preschool room. That arithmetic, not rent, is what keeps the infant line the most expensive item in any Reno center's budget, per 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for the Reno area.
| Area | Infant, center | Preschool, center | Family child care |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Reno, Damonte Ranch | $1,250–$1,350 / month | $1,010–$1,100 / month | $955–$1,040 / month |
| Somersett, Caughlin Ranch | $1,200–$1,305 / month | $975–$1,065 / month | $920–$1,005 / month |
| Northwest Reno, Mogul | $1,115–$1,225 / month | $920–$1,010 / month | $870–$950 / month |
| Spanish Springs, north Sparks | $1,040–$1,150 / month | $865–$955 / month | $815–$900 / month |
| Central Reno, Midtown | $985–$1,090 / month | $825–$915 / month | $780–$860 / month |
| Downtown Reno, Sparks | $950–$1,045 / month | $800–$885 / month | $755–$835 / month |
These ranges reflect licensed care, not unlicensed arrangements or subsidized seats. South Reno and the Somersett and Caughlin Ranch areas sit at the top of the range, tracking newer commercial rents and the wages needed to keep credentialed teachers near the Damonte Ranch and south Virginia Street growth corridors. Downtown Reno and Sparks sit at the bottom. The spread across the Reno-Sparks area is moderate, so where you live matters here, but less than what age your child is.
No, Nevada does not fund a statewide universal pre-K program. The Washoe County School District and some area charters operate state and federally funded pre-K, but most of it is limited to income-eligible or higher-need four-year-olds at a small number of campuses, not open to every child. Seats are scarce relative to demand across the Reno-Sparks area.
Federal Head Start and Early Head Start fill much of the gap for lower-income families, with local providers operating classrooms across Washoe County for children from birth to five. Because Nevada has no universal pre-K, most middle-income Reno families with three- and four-year-olds pay private tuition until kindergarten unless they qualify for Head Start, district pre-K, or the Nevada child care subsidy administered by The Children's Cabinet.
Heads up. Daycare is expensive, and Reno has no universal pre-K to lean on. The Reno-Sparks area has grown faster than its child care supply, so the best-rated infant rooms fill early and waitlists are common. Plan as if you will pay full private tuition for the under-five years, join waitlists early, and apply for the subsidy through The Children's Cabinet as soon as you are eligible.
Nevada runs a child care subsidy through the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services under the federal Child Care and Development Fund, for families earning up to 85 percent of the state median income. In the Reno area, The Children's Cabinet administers subsidy applications and case support for northern Nevada. It helps income-eligible working or in-training families pay for licensed care, including infants and toddlers, paying the provider directly with a sliding-scale copay.
Nevada also operates Silver State Stars, the state quality rating and improvement system, which rates participating programs across domains such as curriculum, health and safety, and family partnerships. When you tour a center in south Reno, Somersett, or Midtown, the Silver State Stars rating and the state child care license status are the two public signals worth asking about first. Since July 2024, the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services licenses Washoe County providers under one statewide standard.
Three federal tools lower the real cost for working Reno families: the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit on IRS Form 2441, a Dependent Care FSA at many employers (up to $5,000 per household per year in pre-tax savings), and the federal Child Tax Credit of up to $2,000 per child. Nevada levies no state income tax, so there is no separate state child care credit, and the federal tools do all of the lifting here.
Large Reno-area employers, including Renown Health, the University of Nevada, Reno, the Washoe County School District, and the logistics and technology employers at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, often offer a Dependent Care FSA through payroll. A two-earner household that funds the full $5,000 FSA typically saves roughly $1,100 to $1,500 in federal tax, then adds the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit of $600 to $1,200 and the federal Child Tax Credit of up to $2,000 per child on top, per Internal Revenue Service rules.
A two-income south Reno family with a one-year-old in full-time licensed center care spends roughly $1,250 to $1,350 per month, or about $15,000 to $16,200 per year, per the National Database of Childcare Prices for Washoe County and the Nevada market rate survey.
If the family qualifies for the Nevada child care subsidy through The Children's Cabinet, with income within the state limit and both parents working or in training, the subsidy covers most or all of the cost at a participating provider, with a sliding-scale copay.
If the family is over the limit, the full private rate stands. A Dependent Care FSA recovers $5,000 in pre-tax savings, the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit recovers another $600 to $1,200, and the federal Child Tax Credit of up to $2,000 per child stacks on top. Nevada has no state child care credit to add.
Is daycare cheaper in Reno than in the Bay Area or Sacramento?
Yes, clearly. Reno's licensed infant care runs roughly $950 to $1,350 per month at centers, well below the San Francisco Bay Area and below Sacramento, per the National Database of Childcare Prices for Washoe County and the Nevada market rate survey. Lower wages and rents in northern Nevada drive the gap, which is one reason some California families relocate to the Reno-Sparks area.
When should I join an infant waitlist in Reno?
As early in pregnancy as you can. Nevada's tighter infant ratio means each infant room holds only a few babies per caregiver, and the Reno-Sparks area's fast growth has outrun child care supply, so the strongest programs fill infant openings months ahead. Ask specifically about infant-room timing, not general enrollment.
Walk through the cost calculator to model your own Reno year with the Nevada subsidy, FSA, and the federal credits factored in. Read our subsidized daycare guide, the daycare tax credit explainer, and the broader cost pillar. For listings and the full local landscape, see daycare in Reno overall.
Neighborhoods, listings, licensed sites, and the full Reno-Sparks early-learning landscape.
Read → SubsidiesHow the Nevada subsidy, The Children's Cabinet, Head Start, and Silver State Stars work and who qualifies.
Read → ToolModel your Reno daycare year with the Nevada subsidy, FSA, and federal credits factored in.
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