‘You know how it makes you feel’: Low-income parents' childcare priorities and definitions of ideal high-quality childcare

Through focus groups and a written activity, this study explores and compares 41 low-income Maryland parents' childcare priorities and definitions of ideal high-quality care. Features of ideal high-quality care identified by parents align with professional standards and with descriptions found in existing literature, though parents' operationalized definitions of quality varied, and their expectations were lower than most professional standards. There was also strong alignment between identified features of high-quality care and parents' priorities in their most recent childcare searches, though parents focused less on structured learning opportunities when discussing childcare priorities and more on practical features of care. Most features of care discussed by parents are included in Maryland's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), though some of the specific elements parents cited are not included. Findings from this study could be used to inform marketing and design of consumer-education campaigns, QRIS, and survey development.