QUALITYstarsNY is New York's voluntary daycare rating system, organized from 1 star up to 5 stars. A higher star rating signals more training, better ratios, and stronger learning environments — but because it is voluntary, an unrated program is not automatically a worse one.
If you are comparing daycares in New York and see a QUALITYstarsNY star rating, this guide explains what it measures, who runs and licenses programs, how to confirm it, and how it connects to cost and subsidy — so you can use it as one input, not the whole decision. The system is supported by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and managed by a team based at the City University of New York (CUNY), within the broader structure the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care sets for states.
QUALITYstarsNY is New York's voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System for child care and early learning programs, organized from 1 star up to 5 stars. It is supported by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and managed at the City University of New York (CUNY), per New York State and the federal ACF Office of Child Care. Participation is voluntary, so not every licensed program holds a rating.
A quality rating system does two jobs at once. It rates programs so families can compare them, and it improves programs by pairing higher levels with coaching, training, and resources. New York built QUALITYstarsNY with support from the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by the ACF Office of Child Care.
Licensing is the mandatory floor that every program must clear: the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) licenses child care programs, and in New York City, the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene also regulates many programs. QUALITYstarsNY is the voluntary quality layer measured on top of that floor. The table below sorts out what each label means.
| Label | What to know |
|---|---|
| QUALITYstarsNY | New York's voluntary star rating, built on licensing. Led by New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS); not every licensed program holds one. |
| Licensing (New York State OCFS) | The mandatory baseline for every program, overseen by New York State OCFS. QUALITYstarsNY is the voluntary layer above it. Confirm current status and compliance history. |
| Accreditation | Optional national recognition, such as NAEYC (the National Association for the Education of Young Children), separate from the state and a useful extra signal. |
Because QUALITYstarsNY is voluntary, confirm a program's current license first, then ask about its rating, rather than assuming an unrated program is lower quality.
Start with the license: confirm the program's status with New York State OCFS and review any compliance history. Then look at the QUALITYstarsNY star rating. Treat any 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 QUALITYstarsNY rating is genuinely useful, but because the system is voluntary, a strong New York program may carry no rating at all. Use the rating to narrow your list, never to rule out an unrated program before you have visited.
The rating does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. But in New York, the state ties added support and can tie higher reimbursement to higher ratings, while the New York Child Care Assistance Program through OCFS and local social services districts helps eligible families pay, 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 New York-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, the New York Child Care Assistance Program through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and local social services districts is the place to start.
QUALITYstarsNY is New York's voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System for child care and early learning programs, organized from 1 star up to 5 stars. It is supported by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and managed at the City University of New York (CUNY), per New York State and the federal ACF Office of Child Care. Participation is voluntary, so not every licensed program holds a rating.
New York State OCFS licenses child care programs, per the State of New York. Licensing is the mandatory baseline that every program must meet, while QUALITYstarsNY is the quality layer measured on top of it. Confirm a program's current license and compliance history before you enroll.
Confirm the program's license with New York State OCFS and review its compliance history, then ask about its QUALITYstarsNY star rating. Because participation is voluntary, an unrated program is not necessarily low quality. Treat any rating as one data point and pair it with your own tour.
But in New York, the state ties added support and can tie higher reimbursement to higher ratings, while the New York Child Care Assistance Program through OCFS and local social services districts helps eligible families pay, a structure the ACF Office of Child Care encourages under the federal Child Care and Development Fund. For national context, center-based care runs roughly $8,000 to $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 New York 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 Grow NJ Kids, Delaware Stars, and Maryland EXCELS.
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