Infant vs Toddler vs Preschool Childcare Cost in Carter County, MT
In Carter County, MT, center-based childcare costs $211/wk for infants, $221/wk for toddlers, $189/wk for preschoolers, and $189/wk for school-age children, based on DOL data. Care gets cheaper as a child gets older: preschool is about 11% ($22/wk, $1,167/yr) less than infant care. Toddler (1-2) is the priciest age group ($221/wk) and preschool (3-5) the cheapest ($189/wk).
Cost by Child's Age
Childcare prices in Carter County track a child's age closely, because state licensing rules require more staff per child for the youngest age bands. Infant center care costs $211/wk ($10,992/yr), the highest band in most counties, while preschool care runs $189/wk ($9,825/yr). That's a 11% drop — about $22/wk, or $1,167 a year, in savings as your child moves from infant to preschool.
The priciest age group in Carter County is Toddler (1-2) at $221/wk, and the cheapest is preschool (3-5) at $189/wk — a spread of $32/wk between the most and least expensive bands. The decline is uneven here: toddler care sits close to or above infant care, so the cost curve is not perfectly smooth. School-age care (ages 6+) is usually the most economical at $189/wk, since those children only need before- and after-school coverage.
| Age Group | Center/Wk | Center/Yr | vs Infant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant (0-1) | $211 | $10,992 | — |
| Toddler (1-2) | $221 | $11,479 | +$9 |
| Preschool (3-5) | $189 | $9,825 | -$22 |
| School-Age (6+) | $189 | $9,825 | -$22 |
Burden Index
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $46,486 |
| Burden Index | 23.6% (Severe) |
| National Median (Infant Center) | $174/wk |
How does Carter County compare?
At $211/wk for infant center care, Carter County runs 22% above the national median of $174/wk.
The Childcare Burden Index here is 23.6% of median household income — a severe burden, more than triple the 7% affordability threshold the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses.
For families looking to lower the bill, family-based (home) daycare in Carter County runs $166/wk for infants — about 21% less than center-based care, or $2,335 in annual savings. School-age care is the cheapest category at $189/wk (center) or $158/wk (family).
More about Carter County
This answer pulls from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices, the authoritative federal source for U.S. childcare prices. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.
A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Childcare Prices, 2026.