Help Parents Make Informed Choices

The Challenge

Parents often lack the reliable information they need to choose an ECE program they can trust to leave their child in all day. They have no way of knowing which programs truly support children’s learning and which don’t.

When public information does exist, it’s often buried in bureaucracy, hard to find, hard to understand, and disconnected from what families care about most. Without clear, usable information, parents can’t make good choices, and programs face no real pressure to improve.

The result is a “market for lemons”: strong programs don’t stand out, and weaker ones survive unchallenged. This lack of transparency means family choice breaks down — and market quality breaks down with it.

The Strategy for States

Strengthen transparency by making information clear, usable, and relevant, ensuring that parents have what they need to choose — and drive — quality. States can:

  • Publish ratings that focus on what families value most: safety, stability, and child development

  • Present information in parent-friendly formats — simple, visual, and accessible in multiple languages

  • Partner with trusted community organizations to reach parents directly

The goal: Turn parents into empowered decision-makers able to choose programs based on what matters most for their child.

Why This Works

Markets work when consumers can tell what’s high quality and what’s not. Giving parents clear, usable information closes the gap between purchasing power and smart decision-making — driving accountability and improvement without mandates.

Better information means:

  • Parents choose programs with confidence, not in the dark

  • Strong programs attract more families and grow

  • Weaker programs face pressure to improve — or leave the market

  • Market accountability replaces bureaucratic oversight

The result: Clear, parent-focused information strengthens family choice, drives program quality, and ensures tax dollars support what matters to parents.

Next strategy for this goal ⟶ Cut Red Tape That Blocks Parent Choice