IdahoSTARS Steps to Quality is Idaho's quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for child care. It is a six-step building-block system; a program moves up step by step, and Step 3 is where it becomes STAR-rated, meaning it has reached a base level of verified quality above the licensing minimum.
If you are comparing daycares in Idaho and keep seeing steps or STAR ratings, this guide explains what Steps to Quality 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 IdahoSTARS, a partnership of the University of Idaho and the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, with the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care setting the broader QRIS structure states follow.
Steps to Quality is Idaho's voluntary quality rating and improvement system, known as a QRIS. Run through IdahoSTARS, a partnership of the University of Idaho and the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, it is a six-step building-block system for licensed child care programs. A program evolves as it moves from participating through Steps 1 to 6, and Step 3 is the point at which it becomes STAR-rated, per IdahoSTARS 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 step with coaching, training, and resources. Idaho 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.
Each step adds requirements on top of the one before. The early steps cover enrollment, health and safety, and professional development; by Step 3 a program is STAR-rated, and the higher steps require independent classroom assessment and sustained quality across seven domains. The table below shows the areas IdahoSTARS measures, drawn from the Steps to Quality standards.
| What the rating measures | What a higher step looks like |
|---|---|
| Licensing, health, safety & wellness | A licensed program in good standing meeting Idaho's health and safety requirements as the entry point. |
| Professional development | Staff completing required training and building early-childhood credentials as steps rise. |
| Curriculum & instruction | A research-based curriculum and, at higher steps, an independent Environment Rating Scale (ERS) assessment. |
| Ratios & learning environment | Stronger learning environments and group practices than the licensing floor requires. |
| Partnerships with families | Family engagement, developmental screening, and program leadership practices. |
Exact step requirements are set by IdahoSTARS; confirm the current Steps to Quality standards on the IdahoSTARS site, because states revise QRIS rubrics periodically.
Use the IdahoSTARS program search to find a provider's current step and STAR rating, then cross-check its license status with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare or the relevant city licensing office. 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 Steps to Quality rating is genuinely useful, but it is voluntary and imperfect. Some strong Idaho programs never enroll, and a rating can be a year or more behind reality. Use it to narrow your list, never to replace a visit.
The rating does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. But in Idaho, higher-rated providers can qualify for added support and, where offered, tiered subsidy reimbursement through the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP), 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 Idaho-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) is the place to start.
Steps to Quality is Idaho's voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for child care programs, run through IdahoSTARS, a partnership of the University of Idaho and the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children. It is a six-step building-block system; Step 3 is the point at which a program becomes STAR-rated, per IdahoSTARS and the federal ACF Office of Child Care.
No. Steps to Quality participation is voluntary, so an unrated daycare is not automatically low quality — it may simply have chosen not to enroll. Licensing through the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, or a local city license, is the mandatory baseline; the Steps to Quality rating sits on top of it.
Use the IdahoSTARS program search to find a provider's current step and STAR rating, then confirm the program's license status with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare or the relevant city. Ratings can lag real conditions, so pair the rating with your own tour.
Not directly through tuition, which each program sets. But higher-rated providers can qualify for added support and, where offered, tiered subsidy reimbursement through the Idaho Child Care Program, per IdahoSTARS 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 Idaho 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, Learn & Grow, and Quality First.
Get our free daycare starter kit — the 27-question tour checklist, a cost-comparison worksheet, and what to ask about waitlists. One email, no spam.
Or jump in: tour questions · cost calculator · comparison checklist