Childcare Landscape Study - Flipbook - Page 113
Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study Results
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The Monthly Cost of High-Quality Family Home-Based Care is
$2,158 per Child and Group Home-Based Care is $1,669 per Child
The true cost of high-quality family home-based care is $2,158 per month per child for all ages
(see Table 1). This framework includes capacity for seven children. Staffing is modeled to include
the owner (who serves as the director and an educator) and 20 hours per week of part-time
assistant educator support.
The true cost of high-quality group home-based child care in greater Davidson County is
$1,669 for all ages. This estimate includes capacity for up to 12 children up to school age and
three additional school age children, and includes resources for the owner (who serves as the
director and an educator), one additional full-time educator, and 40 hours per week of time
from part-time assistants (i.e., two 20-hour per week assistants).
Table 1: Estimated Monthly Cost Per Child of Providing High-Quality Home-Based Child Care in Greater
Davidson County
Home-Based Child Care Program Type (Capacity)
Monthly Per Child Cost
Family Home-Based Program (Up to 7 Children)
Group Home-Based Program (Up to 15 Children)
$2,158
$1,669
Source: 2025 Davidson County Child Care Cost Estimation Model. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, 2025. Estimates
reflect a modeled example home-based child care program based on Child Care Provider Survey data and structured cost
assumptions for high-quality care in greater Davidson County.
Similar to the cost estimation model for center-based care, the home-based care cost estimation
models include a living wage for all educators based on the ALICE Household Survival
Budget Threshold. Wages for the home-based child care business owner are modeled to reflect
their owner and educator roles at $40.13 per hour.c Additional educators who work at homebased programs receive wages reflective of their education and experience using a wage scale
starting at $23 per hour. The average wage modeled in the cost estimation model for homebased educators is $27.05 (see Appendix A for the full wage scale).
Cost estimates are identical for all children regardless of age because regulations for homebased programs allow the same staff member to serve multiple age groups, preventing unequal
allocation of expenses based on ages served.
c Modeled owner wages for this CEM reflect input from the Child Care Workgroup and are equal to the model child care
center assistant director wage, plus a 10 percent addition income to account for business responsibilities similar to a center
director. To review our complete methodology and approach see our online Methods Appendix.
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center 2026
www.pn3policy.org
