Parents' Perceptions of Child Care in the United States: NACCRRA's National Parent Poll

In February, NACCRRA conducted a nationwide poll of nearly 600 parents to better understand what they consider when they are looking for child care, what they expect and want from child care, and what barriers they face in obtaining high-quality child care.

Our new report reveals that, more than any other aspect of child care, parents are concerned about its quality. In fact, more than half of the parents surveyed ranked quality as their greatest concern. Cost ranked second.

Moreover, the majority of parents logically assume that standards are in place in child care programs to ensure that children are safe. Parents overwhelmingly think that caregivers are trained in child development and safety and undergo a background check, and that child care programs are inspected. This is simply not true in too many states.

To learn more, download any of the following materials:

• Full report (1016 KB)
• Executive Summary (71 KB)
• Recommendations (58 KB)
• State by State Requirements (44 KB)
• Press release (97 KB)