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San Bernardino anchors the Inland Empire, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Center-based infant care runs $1,050 to $1,450 a month in 2026. That is among the lowest in greater Southern California, though still above most of the country. California's universal Transitional Kindergarten now covers every four-year-old. Younger children pay the private rate below.
Full-time center-based infant care in San Bernardino runs roughly $1,050 to $1,450 a month in 2026. Preschool-age care runs roughly $900 to $1,250. Licensed family child care, common across the Inland Empire, charges about 15 to 25 percent less than centers. These ranges come from the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices for San Bernardino County and the California CDSS Regional Market Rate survey, not single figures.
Infant care prices about 25 to 35 percent above preschool care. The ratio sets the floor. California requires a 1:4 infant ratio in licensed centers under Title 22, easing as children age. Staff pay is the other driver, and the 2025 BLS OEWS records Inland Empire child care wages below coastal Los Angeles and Orange County. Lower wages and rents are why San Bernardino sits at the affordable end of Southern California.
| Area | Infant, center | Preschool, center | Family child care |
|---|---|---|---|
| University District and Arrowhead | $1,325–$1,450 / month | $1,125–$1,250 / month | $1,075–$1,250 / month |
| North End and Verdemont | $1,250–$1,375 / month | $1,075–$1,200 / month | $1,025–$1,200 / month |
| Del Rosa and Highland edge | $1,175–$1,300 / month | $1,000–$1,125 / month | $950–$1,125 / month |
| Downtown and central | $1,100–$1,225 / month | $950–$1,075 / month | $900–$1,075 / month |
| West side and Muscoy edge | $1,050–$1,175 / month | $900–$1,025 / month | $850–$1,025 / month |
San Bernardino prices track the local map. The University District near Cal State and the north-end foothill tracts carry the top rates; the central and west-side neighborhoods sit below. These ranges represent licensed care, not subsidized seats or unrated providers. The spread runs about 20 to 25 percent. San Bernardino is the affordable floor of the greater LA metro, but it still carries California's full regulatory cost base.
Yes, for four-year-olds. California has phased in universal Transitional Kindergarten (TK), a free public-school grade open to every four-year-old regardless of income, fully available as of the 2025-26 school year. The San Bernardino City Unified School District runs TK classrooms. The California State Preschool Program and Head Start add free seats for income-eligible three- and four-year-olds.
Universal TK is the structural change. A San Bernardino family with a four-year-old can enroll in free public TK and pay only for wraparound hours before and after the school day. Three-year-olds and younger children are not covered by TK; they rely on the income-targeted California State Preschool Program, Head Start, or the private rate. TK does not run a full work day, so most families still buy extended care.
Heads up. Universal Transitional Kindergarten covers four-year-olds only, and the TK day is shorter than a work day. Families still pay for before- and after-school wraparound care, and for the full private rate at every age under four. TK is a real saving for one year, not a solution to the infant and toddler bill, which remains the most expensive stretch.
California's main subsidies are CalWORKs Child Care, for families on or transitioning off cash aid, and the Alternative Payment Program (APP), a voucher for income-eligible working families, both funded through the federal Child Care and Development Fund and administered locally. Eligibility generally reaches up to 85 percent of state median income, with an income-based family fee.
Providers are paid on the CDSS Regional Market Rate (RMR) ceiling, set by county. Because San Bernardino's private rates sit below the coastal counties, the RMR ceiling more often covers a center's full charge than it does in Los Angeles. Approved families must use a licensed or license-exempt provider on the program's list. Apply through a local resource and referral agency or the county human services department.
California has a state income tax, so families stack state and federal tools. The state Child and Dependent Care Expenses Credit is a percentage of the federal credit for qualifying households, claimed through the Franchise Tax Board. On top sit the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit on IRS Form 2441, a Dependent Care FSA (up to $5,000 per family per year, pre-tax), and the federal Child Tax Credit of up to $2,000 per child.
Large San Bernardino-area employers, including Loma Linda University Health, Stater Bros, Amazon, San Bernardino City Unified School District, and the county government, generally offer a Dependent Care FSA through payroll. A two-earner household that funds the full $5,000 FSA recovers about $1,100 to $1,600 in federal tax, then adds the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit, the California state credit where it applies, and the federal Child Tax Credit per child.
A two-income San Bernardino family with a one-year-old in full-time licensed center care spends roughly $1,100 to $1,400 a month, or about $13,200 to $16,800 a year, per the National Database of Childcare Prices for San Bernardino County and the California CDSS Regional Market Rate survey.
If the family qualifies for CalWORKs Child Care or the Alternative Payment Program, with income up to about 85 percent of state median income, the family fee is income-based and the voucher pays the provider at the county Regional Market Rate ceiling, which often covers a San Bernardino center's full rate.
If the family is over the income line, the full private rate stands until the child reaches four and enrolls in free Transitional Kindergarten. A Dependent Care FSA recovers $5,000 pre-tax, the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit and the California state credit reduce the bill, and the federal Child Tax Credit applies per child.
Five levers move a San Bernardino bill. Universal Transitional Kindergarten removes the four-year-old line. Below that age the voucher, the credits, and provider choice carry it. Inland Empire rates are already the regional floor.
Model your own San Bernardino year in the cost calculator with CalWORKs, the FSA, and the federal and state credits factored in. Read our California universal TK explainer, the California childcare subsidy guide, and the California state cost overview. Compare nearby Riverside and Fontana, or return to the cost pillar.
How San Bernardino compares with Riverside across the Inland Empire, by age and care type.
Read → Pre-KHow California's universal Transitional Kindergarten works and what it covers for four-year-olds.
Read → ToolModel your San Bernardino daycare year with subsidies, the FSA, and the credits factored in.
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