Lengths parents will go to find best care for their kids

Many parents polled are in a dual-income household (28%) or are single parents (22%). Fewer households have one full-time working parent and one stay-at-home parent (18%), one full-time working parent and one part-time working parent (11%) or two part-time working parents (11%).

Nine in ten dual-income households say they work out of necessity, highlighting the critical role trusted childcare plays in helping parents participate in the workforce.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of The Goddard School, the survey explored all of the lengths parents are going to ensure their children get the best care possible.

According to the results, most parents use some form of childcare (82%), ranging from immediate family members (43%) and friends (25%) to early childhood education providers (24%), traditional daycares (19%) and nannies or dedicated babysitters (14%).

One-quarter of those who use a childcare provider say that without it, one parent would need to reduce their work hours (27%), while others say that one parent would have to leave the workforce entirely (26%); a further 35% say both parents would need to adjust their schedules.

With so much riding on their child’s care providers, these decisions weren’t made overnight. In order to make sure they trusted who they were leaving their child with, many researched their child’s care provider on their websites (27%), had phone conversations (26%) and even reviewed their social media channels (26%) before making their choice.

Parents who send their child to an early childhood education provider or traditional daycare spent, on average, nearly a full workweek (39 hours) researching options before choosing their provider.

“While many parents say that help with social and emotional development (36%) is the most important quality in their child’s care provider, factors such as having a trusted reputation (35%) and a safe and secure campus (33%) ranked almost equally as high, demonstrating a need for trusted providers who prioritize their child’s holistic development and well-being,” said Dr. Lauren Loquasto, Chief Academic Officer at The Goddard School. “A commitment to nurturing curiosity, character and a love of learning can help foster social, emotional and academic development to empower each child to grow into the best version of themselves.”

Parents are also looking for caretakers who go above and beyond simply having eyes on their child when they can’t. Socializing (43%), social-emotional development (38%), encouraging creativity (37%), building confidence (37%) and supporting problem-solving (34%) are the top areas parents want them to focus on.

Another 86% of parents believe that “school readiness” is an important focus when selecting a care provider.

The vast majority (81%) of parents agree that paying for quality early education is an investment in their child’s future.

Cost, however, was found to be the top barrier parents face when choosing childcare (41%), followed by finding a reliable option (33%), navigating waitlists and unavailable spots for their child (28%) and difficulty aligning with operating hours (25%).

“Almost every parent polled—90%—said it’s important for them to have options when choosing care for their child, while two-thirds wish they had more options when they chose their provider. Every family has unique desires, needs and challenges when it comes to their child’s care and education—having options is critically important,” said Loquasto. “Of the 24% of parents who use an early childhood education provider, socializing (52%), creativity (48%), confidence (48%), social-emotional skills (47%) and problem-solving skills (45%) were found to be the areas their child has seen the most growth since enrolling. This underscores the wide-ranging benefits of quality care.”

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of kids ages 0 to 6 who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by The Goddard School and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 17 and July 27, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.