Parent Aware One-Star Rating change

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 is available here. If you want a higher Rating, and to be eligible for more benefits, you can contact your local Parent Aware Recruiter for more information, including the next available dates for Ratings in the Full-Rating Pathway. 

Child care programs may opt out One-Star Rating at any time. If you opt out, you will be able to opt back in and participate in Parent Aware if you choose to. Providers can now opt out in Develop. For more information about this process, please review the Develop guide called “Guide to Parent Aware One-Star Rating Options ” that is available on the Develop homepage.  Programs can continue to opt out using a paper form. Contact your local Parent Aware Recruiter if you would like to opt out of the One-Star Rating.

To maintain a One-Star Rating, you do not have to do anything. Programs with a current One-Star Rating earned on or before June 30, 2026, will be issued a new One-Star Rating when their current Rating expires, unless they have applied for and earned a higher Star Rating. If you have not earned a higher Star Rating when your Rating expires, you can accept the One-Star or opt out. For more information about this process, please review the Develop guide called “Guide to Parent Aware One-Star Rating Options ” that is available on the Develop homepage. 

There is no expiration date for a One-Star Rating. A program will maintain a One-Star Rating until: 

1. The program earns a higher Star Rating. 

2. The program becomes ineligible to participate in Parent Aware, or 

3. The program chooses to opt out of the One-Star Rating. You can opt out at any time. 

No. Programs licensed by Tribal Nations will not automatically receive a One-Star Rating. Tribally licensed programs will have the opportunity to opt in to receiving a One-Star Rating. This decision was made in collaboration with Minnesota Tribal Resources for Early Childhood Care (MNTRECC) to respect Tribal sovereignty. We have a customized process for Tribally licensed programs to use to indicate their preferences for participation. Programs will work with their Parent Aware Recruiter and/or Tribal Licensor to complete a form. That form will be submitted to the Parent Aware Rating team and the program’s preferences will be entered in Develop on their behalf. 

Yes, there are several financial support programs that do not require participation in Parent Aware, including the Great Start Compensations Support Payment Program, TEACH Scholarships, and Regional Grants. Visit the DCYF website for more information.