Lack Of Child Care Rating Systems Leaves Parents In A Bind [NPR.org]

There are rating systems for hospitals, nursing homes and doctors. So why is it so hard to compare providers of child care?

Part of the reason is that there are no nationally agreed-upon standards for what determines the quality of child care. The standards that do exist are formulated in each state, and they vary widely.

For example, some states require that child care workers have a teaching certificate. Others require certain college courses. Some have strict ratios of how many caregivers are required per child.

But all of these criteria are important in assessing the quality of a child care facility, says Susan Hibbard, director of Build Initiative, which works with states developing early childhood programs.

What's needed, she says, is a tool that makes it easier for parents to evaluate and compare the child care options in their communities.

"So you know that if you see 3 stars out of 3 stars, your child is going to have teachers who are nurturing, have experience, understand child development and know how to work with children and help them thrive," she says.

[For more of this story, written by Patti Neighmond, go to http://www.npr.org/sections/he...es-parents-in-a-bind]