Above all factors, trust in their child’s caregiver matters most. When parents are asked what mattered in choosing their current child care arrangement, the level of trust they have in the caregiver emerged as the most important factor, selected by 47 percent of parents (Figure 14). Trust ranks first across nearly every demographic group, including by gender, par- ent’s age, income, employment status, and race and ethnicity. AAPI parents are the exception, ranking location and cost ahead of trust. Trust is especially important for parents of younger children. More than half (56 percent) of parents with infants selected trust compared to 43 percent and 38 percent of parents whose youngest child is three or four. At those ages, having care in a convenient location (youngest is three) or at an affordable cost (youngest is four) are favored.
What Parents Say Most Influenced Their Choice of Child Care Figure 14
Level of trust in caregiver
47%
44%
Convenient location
42%
Cost
23%
Hours of operation
Program environment or amenities
19%
Consistent caregiver as child grows
15%
14%
Group size (e.g. one-on-one vs. classroom)
Cultural fit and/or language access
12%
9%
Siblings at the same location
Special needs support
6%
4%
I had limited or no choice
4%
Mixed-age learning/classrooms
Other
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Notes: Source: Survey of 4,306 parents and caregivers of children ages 0-5 living in New York City; conducted by NORC for New America’s New Practice Lab and Robin Hood, March 31-April 20, 2026. Note: Data reflect parents’ responses when asked what mattered most to them when choosing their current child care. Parents could select up to three response options.
THE 2026 NEW YORK CITY PARENT SURVEY : WHAT CHILD CARE PARENTS WANT 28
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