What do Indiana Families Want in Quality Child Care?
Quality child care looks different to every family, because every child is unique. Parents and caregivers can agree, however, on some factors that make care great. Have you ever wondered what quality child care looks like to other Hoosier families? A recent study helps us understand.
The Study
In the summer of 2025, 400 Indiana families with children under the age of 5 answered an in-depth survey about their experiences in child care. Researchers hoped to understand factors related to choosing child care and satisfaction with care, particularly when considering the unique costs and benefits of Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) care and regulated child care like formal centers, ministries and homes. This study uncovered helpful information about how Indiana families make decisions about child care.
Quality in all Types of Care
Regardless of the type of care, families considered several factors important in their decision: affordability, flexibility, support for children with disabilities and clean and secure environments.
Once needs were met, families could look for what they wanted, factors that, to them, indicated quality and therefore, satisfaction. Families indicated the following elements of quality in all types of care:
- Cleanliness and security of the child care environment.
- Promoting cognitive, emotional and physical growth.
- Attending to children’s needs.
- Fostering self-help skills among children.
- Intentional learning experiences.
- Preparing children for school or more structured environments.
What are your needs in care? What are your wants? Are your priorities similar or different to families that answered the survey?
Reasons for Choosing a Type of Care
Among respondents to the survey, 26% of families with a child or children under the age of 5 use licensed or regulated care; 16% asked family members, friends or neighbors (FFN) to care for their children; 17% use a combination of both regulated and FFN care; and 41% do not use either type of child care. All families with children in care have their reasons for selecting regulated or FFN child care.
In the 2025 study, families that chose regulated child care such as centers, ministries and homes indicated structure and learning opportunities, hours and reliability, socialization opportunities and licensure or regulation as their reasons for choosing regulated care. Families that utilized FFN care prioritized a trusted person; comfortable, home-like setting; flexible scheduling; and lower cost when selecting care.
Do your preferences align more with families who chose regulated or FFN care?
Factors That Indicate Quality
While quality in child care varies, families participating in this 2025 study agreed on several key indicators. Overall, families prioritized safety, emotional responsiveness and child development over all else when choosing care. However, there were some differences in preference between families in regulated and FFN care. Families using regulated care prioritized developing school readiness skills, while families with children in FFN care focused more on shared values of the caregiver or their attentiveness to needs, especially if their child had a disability.
What quality factors are most important to you?
The Deciding Factor
When all was said and done and families had selected care for their children, they were asked about the most important element of their decision. Families that decided on regulated child care placed importance on factors related to safety such as background checks, CPR and first aid training, emergency protocols and inspections that make sure providers follow standards. For the same reasons, families that chose FFN care were also motivated by concerns related to trust and safety, but their decision was based around fear of neglect or mistreatment in formal settings and strong trust in family and friends they know.
What would be the most important part of your decision?
Another Dataset
Over the course of almost two years, from November 2023 to September 2025, Indiana families that received a regulated child care referral were asked whether they found care. If they found care, they were asked why they selected the care they chose. This statewide survey yielded insightful results.
The top reason families selected a particular child care program, for 57% of respondents, was an opening for their children. Thirty-five percent of respondents shared that convenient location influenced their decision. Twenty percent of families chose a specific child care program because they accepted their Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) voucher and/or the On My Way Pre-K program to help them pay for care. And 19% of families chose a program due to flexible hours and days. These top reasons for choosing a particular child care program are practical and represent what is often the reality of child care choice. We want the best for our children, and at times, we need to find a place that can accept them, that’s close by, that we can afford and that meets our hours.
What does this mean for you?
Children are our world. Choosing where they will go to child care and who will care for them in our absence is one of our most important decisions. So, how do we make that choice? What factors influence our decision?
Other Indiana families have made this choice just like you have. They have considered the elements of child care that were most important to them and selected a program to trust.
If you’re struggling to make the right choice for your family, it may be helpful to reflect on which elements of choosing child care feel most important to you. Which stood out when you read about them? Which got you thinking or inspired a gut reaction?
You are your child’s first and best teacher. You will make the best possible choice for your children. Research. Ask questions. Tour programs. Weigh the factors. And trust yourself. You’ve got this.
We are here to help!
For more information on finding child care that fits your family, explore our Choosing Child Care guide.