How much does daycare cost in Guatemala? Of four private daycare and preschool websites we read on 2 October 2026, one publishes its fees: CAPI (Kindergarten Las Abejitas) in zona 11 charges Q1,600 to enrol and Q1,100 a month for children from 12 months in its Maternal groups (2027 school year), with the afternoon Day Care charged separately. The one parent’s figure we found comes from the news site Plaza Pública in February 2024: Q2,500 to enrol each year and Q2,500 a month for care only, with food and learning materials sent from home and Q100 extra for a late pickup. A school-directory site gives approximate monthly ranges of Q800-2,000 for basic full-time daycare and Q1,500-3,000 for mid-range daycare in the Guatemala City area. What is published by the government is how daycares are licensed, which ones hold a licence, and who qualifies for the free public programme.
Quick summary (checked 2 Oct 2026): Private daycares are authorised by the Secretaría de Bienestar Social (SBS) for children 2 to 48 months; the licence costs the centre Q0 and the hours may not run past 6:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday. The SBS 2025 list names 11 new authorisations, 157 renewals and 8 in process. Free care: SOSEP Hogares Comunitarios, children under 7 in poverty or extreme poverty. Employers with more than 30 women workers must provide a daycare room (Labour Code, Art. 155).
What daycare costs
| Source | What it says | Date |
|---|---|---|
| CAPI / Kindergarten Las Abejitas, zona 11 (published fee sheet) | 2027 school year: enrolment Q1,600; Maternal 1 and 2 (from 12 months) Q1,100 a month; Nursery to Preparatoria Q960 a month; class day 8:00-12:30, afternoon Day Care to 18:00 charged separately (price not published); maximum 10 children per Maternal group | Read 2 Oct 2026 |
| Parent quoted by Plaza Pública | Q2,500 annual enrolment + Q2,500 a month, care only; Q100 late-pickup charge; drop-off 7 a.m., pickup 5 p.m. | Article of 2 Feb 2024 |
| SOSEP Hogares Comunitarios | Free (Q0), for qualifying families | Read 2 Oct 2026 |
| Little Thinkers Preschool & Day Care (website) | Day care 7:00 to 16:30 or 7:00 to 18:00; hourly, half-day, full-day or monthly plans in its after-school programme; no prices on the site | Read 2 Oct 2026 |
| escuelasdeguatemala.com (school directory, approximate ranges) | Basic-care daycare Q800-2,000 a month full-time; mid-range daycare or nursery Q1,500-3,000 a month; Spanish-language private preschools Q1,200-2,500 a month plus enrolment; extended hours Q500-1,500 extra | Article of 9 Jun 2026 |
The directory’s figures are its own approximate ranges for Guatemala City and nearby municipalities; the article does not say how they were gathered, so read them as a rough guide and ask each centre for its fee sheet.
For care at home instead, see what a nanny costs, with the employer obligations (IGSS, Bono 14) that come with hiring one.
How daycares are licensed
The SBS’s Departamento de Regulación de Centros de Cuidado Infantil Diario authorises daycares (Centros de Cuidado Infantil Diario). The government trámite catalogue lists the authorisation with these terms, read on 2 October 2026:
- Who it covers: centres that care for children from 2 to 48 months of age.
- Cost and time: Q0, response in 30 days. Legal basis: Acuerdo Gubernativo 101-2015, Articles 33 and 34.
- Hours: the daily schedule may not go beyond the daytime shift, 6:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday.
The same listing sets out what a centre has to file, which doubles as a checklist for parents. Among the requirements:
- a health licence from the Ministry of Health’s establishments department (DRACES);
- a school emergency plan approved by CONRED, and at least one 5-pound fire extinguisher per floor marked on the floor plan;
- for every staff member, criminal and police records, a health card and a certificate of not appearing in the national sex-offender register (RENAS);
- a director with a teaching or education degree, and teachers and carers trained in early stimulation, first aid and child-protection law;
- a responsible doctor (with an active Colegio de Médicos membership) or a medical insurance contract;
- a service contract for parents, for which the SBS recommends the consumer agency DIACO’s model;
- if the centre is inside a condominium, the residents’ association’s permission.
What to ask a daycare: to see its SBS authorisation, its health licence and its CONRED plan, and whether its staff have the RENAS certificate. Then look the centre up on the SBS list below. (Example: CAPI Las Abejitas, Avenida Mariscal 13-23, zona 11, appears among the 2025 renewals.)
The SBS list of authorised centres
The SBS publishes a yearly list of the centres it regulates. Its list for 2025 (published January 2026) has three parts:
- 11 new authorisations in 2025, among them centres in Concepción Tutuapa (San Marcos), San Juan Bautista (Suchitepéquez), San José Pinula, Fraijanes and Guatemala City;
- 157 renewals (revalidaciones), with centres from Guatemala City and Mixco to Quetzaltenango and Puerto Barrios;
- 8 applications in process.
Each entry gives the centre’s name and address. In Sacatepéquez the list includes a centre on Calle del Manchén in Antigua Guatemala, a municipal daycare in San Lucas Sacatepéquez and a centre in Ciudad Vieja.
Free public daycare: SOSEP Hogares Comunitarios
SOSEP (the Secretaría de Obras Sociales de la Esposa del Presidente) runs Hogares Comunitarios for children under 7 who live in poverty or extreme poverty. Its programme page, read on 2 October 2026, lists four meals a day, initial and pre-primary education, preventive health, recreation and psychological support. To apply, the family provides, among other documents: the child’s birth certificate and vaccination card, a weight-and-height record, the parent’s DPI, a proof of address (water, power or phone bill, or a residence certificate from the municipality or COCODE), a work certificate, consent for the child’s lab tests, and a socioeconomic study by a SOSEP social worker. SOSEP says meeting the requirements does not guarantee a place; it depends on the technical assessment and the space at each centre. Phone: 2294-3900, ext. 2079.
When your employer must provide daycare
Article 155 of the Labour Code (Código de Trabajo) obliges every employer with more than thirty women workers to set up a room where mothers can feed their children under three safely and leave them during working hours, cared for by a suitable person the employer designates and pays. The article says this is to be done simply, within the employer’s economic means, with the approval of the Inspección General de Trabajo. Plaza Pública’s 2024 report quotes the Ministry of Labour as saying no complaints appear on record over missing workplace daycares at private companies.
Related pages
- Nanny prices and the employer’s obligations
- How to hire domestic help legally
- Giving birth in Guatemala
- IGSS maternity benefits
- Homeschooling in Guatemala
- Is Guatemala safe for families?
- Service prices hub
Sources
Read on 2 October 2026 unless a date is given.
- Catálogo de Trámites (Government of Guatemala) — Autorización de Centros de Cuidado Infantil Diario (SBS) and Hogares Comunitarios (SOSEP).
- SBS — Centros de Cuidado Infantil Diario regulados en 2025 (PDF, January 2026).
- MINEDUC — where daycares are authorised (SBS regulation department, 32 calle 9-34 zona 11, Las Charcas).
- SOSEP — Hogares Comunitarios.
- Código de Trabajo, Article 155 — commemorative edition (PDF).
- Plaza Pública — Guarderías en Guatemala: una deuda pendiente (2 February 2024).
- Colegio CAPI / Kindergarten Las Abejitas — FAQ and fees (2027 school year).
- Little Thinkers Preschool & Day Care — website. Paby’s Kindergarten — website. Hermano Pedro — Guardería infantil (Antigua). No fees published on any of the three.
- escuelasdeguatemala.com — Guarderías y preescolar en Guatemala 2026: costos (published 9 June 2026).
Fees change every school year; ask each daycare for its fees in writing, including enrolment, materials and late-pickup charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does daycare cost in Guatemala?
Of the four private daycare and preschool websites we read on 2 October 2026, one publishes fees: CAPI (Kindergarten Las Abejitas) in zona 11 lists, for the 2027 school year, Q1,600 to enrol and Q1,100 a month for its Maternal groups (from 12 months), with afternoon Day Care charged separately. A parent quoted by Plaza Pública in February 2024 paid Q2,500 a year to enrol and Q2,500 a month for care only (she supplies the food and learning materials), with Q100 extra for a late pickup. A school-directory site, escuelasdeguatemala.com, gives approximate ranges of Q800-2,000 a month for basic full-time daycare and Q1,500-3,000 for mid-range daycare in the Guatemala City area (June 2026), without saying how it gathered them. SOSEP’s Hogares Comunitarios are free for children under 7 from families in poverty or extreme poverty.
Who licenses daycares in Guatemala?
The Secretaría de Bienestar Social de la Presidencia (SBS), through its department that regulates Centros de Cuidado Infantil Diario. The government trámite catalogue lists the authorisation as free (Q0), with a 30-day response time, for centres caring for children from 2 to 48 months of age, under Acuerdo Gubernativo 101-2015, Articles 33 and 34.
How can I check whether a daycare is authorised?
Ask the centre for its SBS authorisation and compare it with the SBS list. The SBS’s list for 2025, published in January 2026, names 11 new authorisations, 157 renewals (revalidaciones) and 8 applications in process, with each centre’s address.
Are there free daycares in Guatemala?
Yes, for families who qualify. SOSEP’s Hogares Comunitarios programme cares for children under 7 in poverty or extreme poverty, with four meals a day, early education, preventive health and psychological care. The trámite catalogue lists it at Q0. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee a place: it depends on a social worker’s assessment and space at each centre.
Does my employer have to provide daycare in Guatemala?
Article 155 of the Labour Code says every employer with more than thirty women workers must set up a room where mothers can feed their children under three safely and leave them during working hours, cared for by a suitable person the employer designates and pays, as approved by the Inspección General de Trabajo.
