Choosing a daycare facility for your child that will keep them safe and happy can be one of the toughest decisions you face as a parent. It is a process that involves asking many questions and can sometimes yield few answers, though the first simple one is to verify that the facility is licensed. Though no federal statutes exist for daycare licensing, every state has requirements that must be met before a license may be issued.

In Washington, the state Department of Early Learning, DEL, (www.del.wa.gov) is responsible for setting and enforcing these guidelines, which cover a wide variety of issues including teacher qualifications, program restrictions, center locations and health and safety protocols.

Thrive by Five Washington (www.thrivebyfivewa.org) is a non-profit organization that was created through the Gates Foundation in 2006 specifically to work with private and public entities towards "ensuring every child has the chance to have positive early learning experiences, so that they are prepared to succeed in school and thrive in life."

For three years, Thrive by Five and DEL have been working together to create and field test a voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement system, called Seeds to Success. The system will rate childcare centers and individual providers from one to five in the following categories: the childcare facility's environment and curriculum, relationships with families, staff education and training and business and staff management. At least 17 other states have similar quality rating systems in place.

In Washington, on average, parents spend more than $7,600 annually, per household, on childcare. Rather than rely solely on word-of-mouth or short facility tours, the new rating system would allow parents to evaluate multiple criteria before signing over such a high percentage of their salaries. Conversely, providers can use the ratings to evaluate and correct their strengths and weaknesses.

After being delayed for ten months due to the state's budgetary concerns, Gov. Gregoire resurrected and expanded the project in October. Presently, the rating system is being tested in eight counties (including Pierce, which is being self-funded) on over 125 childcare providers who will be evaluated by an independent team assembled by DEL. The state hopes Seeds to Success will be in place and operational statewide in the near future.

In addition to this, www.childcarenet.org/families, a site run by the Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network, is a tool currently available to parents seeking information about day care centers. In addition to providing sources that list local, state-licensed daycares (www.del.wa.gov/care/find%2Dfacility/), the site allows parents to run background checks on specific facilities and view filed complaints.

The Child, Youth and School Services of Fort Lewis (www.fortlewismwr.com/CYS.htm) and the Family Child Care program on McChord (www.mcchordafb.us/family_child_care.html) are not eligible to join these rating systems since they are licensed through the DOD, not the state.