Delaware Stars for Early Success is Delaware's quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for licensed child care and school-age programs. Programs are rated on a Star Level 1 to 5 scale; Levels 1 and 2 cover licensing and orientation basics, while Levels 3 through 5 require independent classroom assessment.
If you are comparing daycares in Delaware and keep seeing Star Levels, this guide explains what Delaware Stars actually measures, who runs it, how to look a program up, and how the rating connects to subsidy — so you can use it as one input, not the whole decision. The framework comes from the Delaware Department of Education and the University of Delaware's Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, with the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care setting the broader QRIS structure states follow.
Delaware Stars for Early Success is Delaware's voluntary quality rating and improvement system, known as a QRIS. Administered by the Delaware Department of Education with the University of Delaware's Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, it rates participating licensed centers, family child care homes, and school-age programs on a Star Level 1 to 5 scale. Higher Star Levels signal stronger staff qualifications, learning environments, and program administration, per the Delaware Department of Education and the federal ACF Office of Child Care.
A QRIS does two jobs at once. It rates programs so families can compare them, and it improves programs by pairing each rating with coaching, training, and sometimes funding. Delaware adopted this model, like most states, with support from the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by the ACF Office of Child Care.
The Star Level climbs as a program does more than the licensing minimum. Star Level 1 means the program is licensed and in good standing and beginning orientation; Star Levels 3 through 5 require minimum scores on the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) plus quality points earned by verifying standards. The table below shows the dimensions the Delaware Department of Education weighs, drawn from the Delaware Stars standards.
| What the rating measures | What a higher Star Level looks like |
|---|---|
| Licensing & good standing | Active license in good standing with the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing as the entry requirement at Star Level 1. |
| Quality improvement plan | By Star Level 2, an active Quality Improvement Plan linked to the Delaware Stars standards. |
| Environment Rating Scale (ERS) scores | By Star Level 3, minimum ERS classroom assessment scores; the threshold rises at Levels 4 and 5. |
| Verified quality points | At least 40 quality points at Star Level 3, 60 at Star Level 4, earned across staff qualifications, curriculum, and family engagement. |
| Ratios & family engagement | Smaller groups, developmental screening, and family partnership practices above the licensing floor. |
Exact point thresholds are set by the Delaware Department of Education; confirm the current Delaware Stars standards on the My Child DE site, because states revise QRIS rubrics periodically.
Use the My Child DE provider search from the Delaware Department of Education to find a program's current Star Level, then cross-check its license status with the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing. Treat the rating as one verified data point alongside your own tour, because ratings can lag a program's real, day-to-day conditions by a year or more.
Honest tradeoff. A Delaware Stars rating is genuinely useful, but it is voluntary and imperfect. Some strong Delaware programs never enroll, and a Star Level can be a year or more behind reality. Use it to narrow your list, never to replace a visit.
The Star Level does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. But in Delaware, a higher Delaware Stars rating can qualify a provider for higher Purchase of Care subsidy reimbursement through tiered reimbursement, a structure the ACF Office of Child Care encourages under the Child Care and Development Fund. For national context, ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report put center-based care at roughly $8,000 to $24,000 per year depending on age and state.
For Delaware-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, Delaware's Purchase of Care program is the place to start.
Delaware Stars for Early Success is Delaware's voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for licensed child care and school-age programs. Administered by the Delaware Department of Education with the University of Delaware's Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, it rates participating programs on a Star Level 1 to 5 scale, per the federal ACF Office of Child Care.
No. Delaware Stars participation is voluntary, so an unrated daycare is not automatically low quality — it may simply have chosen not to enroll. Licensing through the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing is the mandatory baseline; the Delaware Stars rating sits on top of it.
Use the My Child DE provider search published by the Delaware Department of Education to find a program's current Star Level, then confirm its license status with the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing. Ratings can lag real conditions, so pair the Star Level with your own tour.
Not directly through tuition, which each program sets. But higher-rated providers in Delaware can earn higher Purchase of Care subsidy reimbursement through tiered reimbursement, per the Delaware Department of Education and the ACF Office of Child Care. Center care nationally runs roughly $8,000–$24,000 per year, per ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report.
For the full picture in your state, see the Delaware daycare guide, which covers licensing, subsidy, and pre-K. Our daycare quality and safety pillar explains accreditation, ratios, and what to look for on a tour.
Comparing how other states rate quality? Read our explainers on Colorado Shines, Better Beginnings, and Quality First.
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