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Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

Cost of Licensed Child Care as a Percentage of Income

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This indicator show the average annual cost of child care for a preschooler in a licensed center as a percentage of the annual median income for a two parent household. Licensing requirements for child care centers include standards to prevent and control infectious disease, requirements for building and physical premise safety, and implementation of health and safety training appropriate to the program setting.

Why is this important?

Child care is a major household expense for families with young children. Access to affordable and high quality child care is essential for parents to be able to provide sufficient income for their family while ensuring all of their children's social and educational needs are met. In regions where child care costs are high, family budgets are strained and parents may be forced to sacrifice in the quality of child care arrangements they select for their children. Affordable child care in a community also strengthens the economy with a larger labor force and stronger tax base.

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