Parents to Child Care Providers:
We’ll Pay More For Better Care for Our Kids
United Way Association of South Carolina Releases Cost Survey Results

Download Survey as a PDF document

January 2007

Columbia, SC– Faced with lower cost or better quality of child care, most South Carolina residents will choose higher quality. That’s according to the results of a study led by the United Way Association of South Carolina. The study revealed that consumers of child care, like consumers of other services, want to make informed choices to determine just which providers offer the best care for their children.

The statewide collaboration, which also included Mary Black Foundation, Voices for South Carolina’s Children, United Way Success By 6? of Greenville County, United Way of the Midlands, and Trident United Way, formed a leadership group in 2005 to support the implementation of an independent quality rating system in South Carolina. In response to feedback from policymakers, the group commissioned a statewide survey that would determine the public’s opinion on such a system. The survey was conducted in the first weeks of December 2005, and showed overwhelming public support.

“This study shows that parents seeking child care are like any other group of consumers,” said Molly Talbot-Metz of the Mary Black Foundation, “they want the best product, at the best price. They are willing to pay more to get better quality. The challenge is, that currently, there is no objective way for parents to determine the quality of care that a provider offers.”

The survey sample of 1,200 participants includes broad representation from across the state and across all racial and age categories and educational and income levels. Of the 1,200 individuals surveyed, 723 were parents. Among these parents, their passion about the quality of care for their children was unmistakably clear. Some of the highlights include:
• 74 % of parents expressed willingness to pay more for a child care setting that had received a higher rating of quality.
• Of those parents who were willing to pay more for quality, 97% would be willing to pay as much as an additional $10 per week; and 84% would be willing to pay as much as an additional $20 per week.
• 93% of parents said that they would like to have quality ratings for child care programs in their area so they could compare them.
• When asked if child care programs should rate themselves, if a quality rating system were implemented, survey participants indicated the importance of an independent group rating the child care programs.

“You know if a restaurant or hotel is high quality based on independent ratings posted on the door.” Talbot-Metz added. “But when making one of the most important consumer choices, parents are left guessing about the quality of care and education a child care provider offers. That’s sad and it doesn’t make sense. We know that the foundation for lifelong learning begins in the early years. We also know that parents often spend as much on child care as they would on college tuition. Very few parents would choose to spend that much money on college tuition without knowing about the quality of education their child will receive. As consumers of child care services, parents need better information about the quality of the programs in their community.”

What Does Quality Child Care Look Like?

While there are a number of competing accrediting agencies and differing quality standards around the nation, both industry and consumer advocates agree that quality child care is determined by a number of factors:
• Promotion of positive relationships for all children and adults
• Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development – cognitive, emotional, language, physical, and social
• Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches
• Provide ongoing assessments of child progress
• Promote the nutrition and health of children and staff
• Employ and support qualified early education teaching staff
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with families
• Establish and maintain relationships and use resources of the community
• Provide a safe and healthy physical environment
• Implement strong program management policies that result in high-quality service

It’s time to give parents the tools they need to identify these quality standards, helping them make the best choice about one of the most important decisions they will ever make. It’s time for South Carolina to have a consumer-driven, independent rating system for the child care industry.

For more information about the survey, including detailed results, please call United Way Association of South Carolina at 803.929.1000.

Download Survey as a PDF document