Description:

Nearly 11 million children younger than age 5 spend an average of 35 hours a week in some type of child care setting. State child care licensing requirements govern the health, safety and learning opportunities for these children. State oversight requirements monitor compliance with state policies.

We Can Do Better: 2013 Update is the fourth in a series of reports beginning in 2007 that scores and ranks the states, including the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense (DoD) on 11 program requirements and four oversight benchmarks for child care centers. Child Care Aware® of America's update found that states have made progress but more progress is needed.

The average score in 2013 was 92 out of a possible 150 points (61 percent of all possible points). Using a standard grading scale, no state earned an A. The Department of Defense earned a B, the remaining top 10 states earned a C. Twenty-one states earned a D and the remaining states 20 failed.