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Programs Announcements

Announcements

News and updates about Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System.

Parent Aware is Minnesota’s quality rating and improvement system for child care and early learning programs. Effective July 1, 2026, all licensed child care providers that are in good standing with the state or their Tribe will receive a One-Star Parent Aware Rating unless they are already Rated or choose to opt out (Minnesota Statutes, section 142D.13, subdivision 2).

This change will align Minnesota’s quality rating and licensing standards, simplify Parent Aware participation, and increase access to Early Learning Scholarships for families and providers.

This only impacts programs that are not Parent Aware Rated and programs that have a current One-Star Rating. If your program has a Two-Star Rating or higher, there is nothing you need to do.

What do providers need to do?

This change only impacts programs that are not Parent Aware Rated and programs that currently hold a One-Star Rating.

For providers that are not Parent Aware Rated, there are three options:

  1. Sign up now: Programs in good standing with the state or their Tribe can now sign an agreement to accept a One-Star Rating. By doing this, programs can participate in Early Learning Scholarships and will be featured on the Parent Aware website now. These programs will receive their One-Star Rating on July 1, 2026, when the change will automatically happen. If you want to sign the agreement now, you can access the agreement in your Organization Profile in Develop. For more information about this process, please review the Develop guide called “Guide to the Automatic One-Star Rating Commitment Agreement” that is available on the Develop homepage.
  2. Earn a higher Rating: Programs can apply for and earn a higher Star Rating. If you want a higher Rating, and to be eligible for more benefits, you can contact your local Parent Aware Recruiter for more information.
  3. Opt out: Licensed providers will be able to opt out of receiving the One-Star Rating. The process for receiving or opting out of the One-Star Rating effective July 1, 2026, is in development. More information is coming.

For providers that have a current One-Star Rating, there are three options:

  1. Maintain a One-Star Rating: Providers with a One-Star Rating will not be required to submit an application or Quality Documentation Portfolio for a One-Star Rating after July 1, 2026. To maintain a One-Star Rating, you do not have to do anything.
  2. Earn a higher Rating: Providers can apply for and earn a higher Star Rating. The current Indicators for the One-Star Rating will be incorporated into the rating process for the Two-Star Rating. An updated Quality Documentation Portfolio will be available soon. If you want a higher Rating, and to be eligible for more benefits, you can contact your local Parent Aware Recruiter for more information.
  3. Opt out: If you no longer want to participate in Parent Aware, you can opt out of receiving the One-Star Rating at any time. The process for receiving or opting out of the One-Star Rating effective July 1, 2026, is in development. More information is coming.

How can providers learn more or get help?

You can stay up to date on Parent Aware changes by visiting the News, Updates, and Engagements webpage for Parent Aware on the DCYF website. If you have questions, contact your local Parent Aware Recruiter. Thank you for all you do for Minnesota’s children and families.

Prior to May 2025, NAEYC only offered one tier of accreditation. NAEYC now offers three tiers: recognition, accreditation, and accreditation plus. Moving forward, NAEYC-accredited programs will need to choose which accreditation tier they wish to pursue.


Effective July 1, 2025, programs that choose the accreditation and the accreditation plus NAEYC tiers will be eligible to use the Parent Aware accelerated rating pathway. In addition, these tiers will also count for the Child Care Assistance Program’s 15 percent higher tier of reimbursement for higher quality programs. This change provides flexibility in the definition of being “accredited,” to account for new options for validating accreditation.  

Updates are coming to Develop to improve user experience. These updates will include a redesign of the Parent Aware application, the Grants applications, the Quality Dashboard, the Parent Aware Participation Agreement, and the user guides. For more information, visit Develop’s Announcements webpage.

Parent Aware Standards and Indicators for participating child care providers were last updated in 2016. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is working to update the Standards and Indicators again, with the new changes to be announced in 2025. Here’s a list of frequent questions we’ve received about the plan for updates. If you have any additional questions, contact DCYF at dcyf.child.care@state.mn.us.

You can download the full list of the current Standards and Indicators from the DCYF website.

What are the Parent Aware Standards and Indicators?

  • Standards and Indicators are the quality measures we use to award Star Ratings.
  • Standards describe key features that reflect best practices. They are based on years of research that has shown these practices make a positive difference for children.
  • Indicators are the specific activities we can observe or measure during the Rating process to determine whether a Standard has been met.
  • Standards and Indicators are organized into five broad categories of quality:
    • Teaching and relationships with children
    • Relationships with families
    • Assessment and planning for each individual child
    • Professionalism
    • Health and well-being

Why are the Standards and Indicators being updated?

  • Our goal is to make sure the Rating process is fair, accurate and meaningful to the programs that participate and reflects the latest best practices. Updating the Standards and Indicators will help ensure children receive the best care and learning opportunities possible.
  • DCYF is committed to addressing racial equity in the Standards and Indicators in the Parent Aware Racial Equity Action Plan and the Parent Aware Equity Report. These reports provide steps DCYF has committed to take to address racial, cultural, linguistic, and geographic equity in Parent Aware.

What will the review and updating process include?

  • The 18-month process of reviewing the Parent Aware Standards and Indicators and considering updates started in 2023.
  • Feedback about the Standards and Indicators and the Rating process was gathered from a diverse group of child care and early education content experts, directors, providers, teachers and families. Opportunities to provide feedback on the Standards and Indicators were offered, and reports were posted sharing the results here:
  •  The Parent Aware evaluation has been completed. The results from the evaluation have informed all efforts to redesign Parent Aware and update its framework, Standards and Indicators to better reflect diversity of individuals, experiences and ideas.
  • The Parent Aware Evaluation and One-Star Ratings Legislative Report of 2024 is now available. The report provides highlights from the Parent Aware evaluation, recommendations for revisions to Parent Aware, and plans for ongoing evaluation and continuous quality improvement.
  • Next steps for updating the Standards and Indicators will be shared in 2025.

Who should I contact if I have questions about the updating process?

Contact the Department of Children, Youth, and Families with questions at dcyf.child.care@state.mn.us.

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is currently engaged in efforts to better understand and address inequities within Parent Aware. As part of this effort, in recent years, the department collaborated with Parent Aware partners through the Parent Aware Racial Equity Action Plan workgroup and engaged with hundreds of child care programs across the state to identify and report on barriers and to create a plan for improvement. 

DCYF is now moving into the next phase of this work: gathering additional data and community input and implementing recommendations through the Parent Aware Redesign. This multi-year effort includes multiple projects and centers best practices and racial, cultural, linguistic, ability, and geographic equity.

As we continue this work, there will be many opportunities for partners, child care providers, and families to provide feedback. We are assembling a group of ambassadors to help advise and share information on the Parent Aware Redesign. Join us as a Parent Aware Redesign Ambassador to receive email updates on this work. You can email questions to dhs.child.care@state.mn.us.

Learn more about the Parent Aware Redesign by visiting the DCYF website.