Paths to QUALITY is Indiana's quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for child care. It is a four-level building-block system; a program moves up level by level, from health-and-safety basics at Level 1 to national accreditation at Level 4, each level signaling more verified quality above the licensing minimum.
If you are comparing daycares in Indiana and keep seeing Paths to QUALITY levels, this guide explains what the system actually measures, who runs it, how to look a program up, and how the level connects to subsidy — so you can use it as one input, not the whole decision. The framework comes from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, with the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care setting the broader QRIS structure states follow.
Paths to QUALITY (PTQ) is Indiana's voluntary quality rating and improvement system, known as a QRIS. Run by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, it is a four-level building-block system for licensed and registered child care programs. A program advances from Level 1 to Level 4, and the levels build on one another, per the FSSA 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 level with coaching, training, and resources. Indiana 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 level adds requirements on top of the one before. Level 1 covers health, safety, and a learning environment; the higher levels add a planned curriculum, ongoing assessment, and, at Level 4, national accreditation. The table below shows what each level reflects, drawn from the Paths to QUALITY standards.
| Level | What it reflects |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Health and safety needs are met and the learning environment is in place, building on the program's license or registration. |
| Level 2 | The environment actively supports children's learning and development. |
| Level 3 | A planned curriculum guides children's learning across developmental areas. |
| Level 4 | The program has earned recognized national accreditation, the highest Paths to QUALITY level. |
Exact level requirements are set by the FSSA; confirm the current Paths to QUALITY standards on the state's site, because states revise QRIS rubrics periodically.
Use the state's Child Care Finder on the SparkLearning or FSSA Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning site to find a provider's current Paths to QUALITY level, then cross-check its license or registration status with the FSSA. Treat the level 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 Paths to QUALITY level is genuinely useful, but it is voluntary and imperfect. Some strong Indiana programs never enroll, and a level can be a year or more behind reality. Use it to narrow your list, never to replace a visit.
The level does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. But in Indiana, higher-rated providers can qualify for added support and, where offered, tiered reimbursement through the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program, a structure the ACF Office of Child Care encourages under the federal 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 Indiana-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, Indiana's Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program through the FSSA is the place to start.
Paths to QUALITY (PTQ) is Indiana's voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for child care, run by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. It is a four-level building-block system; Level 1 covers health and safety and Level 4 reflects national accreditation, per the FSSA and the federal ACF Office of Child Care.
No. Paths to QUALITY participation is voluntary, so an unrated daycare is not automatically low quality — it may simply have chosen not to enroll. Licensing or registration through the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) is the mandatory baseline; the Paths to QUALITY level sits on top of it.
Use the state's Child Care Finder on the SparkLearning or FSSA Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning site to see a provider's current Paths to QUALITY level, then confirm its license or registration status with the FSSA. Ratings can lag real conditions, so pair the level 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 reimbursement through Indiana's Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program, per the FSSA 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 Indiana 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 IdahoSTARS Steps to Quality, ExceleRate Illinois, and Georgia's Quality Rated.
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