2023 Cost of Quality Price Modeling Report
The 2023 Texas Child Care Cost of Quality Price Modeling report explores the incremental costs of providing quality child care in the State of Texas.
Researchers at the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing conducted the report in collaboration with the Ray Marshall Center. Each year, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) contracts the survey as part of an annual project.
The study measures and models the prices charged for quality care among certified Texas Rising Star and other nationally accredited providers. In addition to the overall cost of quality care, this study explores the relative contributions to costs of individual structural components of quality. Comparisions were made between nationally accredited and non-accredited centers, and between Texas Rising Star certified and non-certified centers.
Researchers surveyed a sample of center-based child care facilities to capture important quality factors and pricing information. In addition, researchers assembled extensive data from publicly available sources to develop statistical models of the price of quality child care.
A stable and consistent relationship between child and teacher plays a key role in the practice of quality care. Findings show nationally accredited centers and Three-Star and Four-Star certified centers reported employing fewer part-time staff compared to non-accredited and non-certified centers. Higher quality centers also stand out in terms of greater educational achievement of staff, greater CDA credentialing rates, lesser deployment of inexperienced staff members, and more use of experienced staff.