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Yonkers sits in Westchester County, just north of New York City, and runs at the top of the national range. Infant rooms set the top of every center's price sheet because of the 1:4 infant ratio. Free Universal Prekindergarten and the New York subsidy system change the bill for families who qualify. Everyone else pays the private rate below.
In 2026 dollars, full-time center-based daycare in Yonkers, New York runs roughly $1,900 to $2,700 per month for infants and roughly $1,400 to $2,000 per month for preschool-age children. Licensed family child care, regulated under OCFS rules, typically charges 15 to 25 percent less than centers in the same neighborhood. These ranges come from the U.S. Department of Labor National Database of Childcare Prices for Westchester County and the New York market-rate survey, not single-point averages.
Infant care in Yonkers prices 30 to 40 percent above preschool-age care. The reason is ratio rules. New York OCFS sets the center infant ratio at 1:4 for children under 18 months, then loosens it as children age. The 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics show local child care worker pay is the other main cost driver, and Westchester wages run high. Paying multiple caregivers across small infant rooms keeps infant care the most expensive line in any center budget.
| Area | Infant, center | Preschool, center | Family child care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood and Lawrence Park | $2,500–$2,700 / month | $1,850–$2,000 / month | $2,000–$2,200 / month |
| Bryn Mawr and Park Hill | $2,400–$2,600 / month | $1,775–$1,925 / month | $1,925–$2,125 / month |
| Dunwoodie and Cedar Knolls | $2,300–$2,500 / month | $1,700–$1,850 / month | $1,850–$2,050 / month |
| Northeast Yonkers | $2,225–$2,425 / month | $1,650–$1,800 / month | $1,800–$2,000 / month |
| Getty Square and Downtown | $2,100–$2,300 / month | $1,550–$1,700 / month | $1,700–$1,900 / month |
| Lincoln Park | $2,000–$2,200 / month | $1,475–$1,625 / month | $1,625–$1,825 / month |
| Ludlow and Nodine Hill | $1,900–$2,100 / month | $1,400–$1,550 / month | $1,575–$1,775 / month |
Yonkers prices follow the city's map. The higher-income tracts around Crestwood and Lawrence Park carry the top rates; the denser downtown and southwest neighborhoods sit below. These ranges represent licensed care at OCFS-licensed sites, not subsidized seats or unlicensed providers. The spread from top to bottom runs about 20 to 30 percent, and the Westchester floor sits near the top of the national table because of New York wages and rents.
Yes, for four-year-olds where seats exist. New York funds Universal Prekindergarten (UPK), and Yonkers Public Schools operates free UPK classrooms for four-year-olds, with a smaller number of three-year-old seats. Federal Head Start serves income-eligible three- and four-year-olds. UPK is state-funded and open to all four-year-olds, but the supply of seats is finite.
UPK is the one broadly free option, and it covers four-year-olds first. Many UPK classrooms run a school-day or part-day schedule, not a full work day. Three-year-olds rely on a limited number of UPK seats or Head Start. Infants and toddlers are not covered by any free public program. A family that needs full-day, year-round care pays for the hours UPK does not cover, and a family with a child under four pays the full private rate.
Heads up. A UPK seat is free but not guaranteed, and the schedule rarely matches a full work week. Families often pair a part-day UPK classroom with paid wraparound care, which means budgeting for both. Infants and toddlers carry the full private rate, the highest in the region. Plan for the full bill until a UPK seat and the hours you need are both confirmed.
New York's main subsidy is the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), administered by the New York Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) through the Westchester County Department of Social Services under the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Statewide eligibility expanded to 85 percent of state median income, and family co-payments are capped at a small share of income above the federal poverty level.
Approved Westchester families use a licensed center, a registered or licensed family child care home, or in some cases legally exempt care, with the county paying the provider at the market-rate ceiling. Infant care draws down the largest subsidy because the 1:4 infant ratio under OCFS rules makes it the most expensive seat to fund. Apply through the Westchester County Department of Social Services, and expect demand to outrun available funding at times.
The savings stack from two directions. Federal tools include the Child and Dependent Care Credit on IRS Form 2441, a Dependent Care FSA at most employers (up to $5,000 per family per year, pre-tax), and the federal Child Tax Credit of up to $2,000 per child. New York adds a refundable state Child and Dependent Care Credit, which is a percentage of the federal credit and can exceed the federal share for lower-income households.
Major Yonkers-area employers, including St. John's Riverside Hospital, Montefiore, Yonkers Public Schools, Westchester County government, Kawasaki Rail Car, and Empire City Casino, generally offer a Dependent Care FSA through payroll. A two-earner household that funds the full $5,000 FSA typically recovers roughly $1,100 to $1,600 in federal tax, then adds the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit of $600 to $1,200, the refundable New York state credit, and the federal Child Tax Credit for each child.
A two-income Yonkers family with a one-year-old in full-time licensed center care spends roughly $2,100 to $2,400 per month, or $25,200 to $28,800 per year, per the National Database of Childcare Prices for Westchester County and the New York market-rate survey.
If the family qualifies for the Child Care Assistance Program — household income at or below 85 percent of state median income — CCAP pays the provider at the county rate, and the family owes only the capped co-payment.
If the family is over the CCAP ceiling, the full private rate stands until the child reaches UPK age. A Dependent Care FSA recovers $5,000 in pre-tax savings, the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit recovers another $600 to $1,200, the refundable New York credit adds more, and the federal Child Tax Credit applies per child.
Walk through the cost calculator to model your own Yonkers year with CCAP, the Dependent Care FSA, and the federal and New York credits factored in. Read our New York childcare subsidy guide, the New York pre-K and UPK explainer, the New York state cost overview, and the broader cost pillar. For neighborhood and listing detail, see daycare in Yonkers overall.
Neighborhoods, listings, licensed sites, and the full Yonkers early-learning landscape.
Read → Pre-KHow New York's Universal Prekindergarten, 3-K, and Head Start work and who qualifies for a free seat.
Read → ToolModel your Yonkers daycare year with CCAP, the FSA, and the federal and New York credits factored in.
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