our prioritY

Safety and Quality at Wonderschool

Children's safety and quality learning are our top priorities. Wonderschool is proud to work with program directors committed to offering high-quality early childhood education.

Our Child Care Finder is designed for families to look for care with peace of mind. Read below to learn about our safety measures.

Supporting Licensed Programs

All license-eligible programs must operate within their state's regulations for child care programs. Wonderschool verifies that every licensed program is, in fact, licensed and in good standing with the state's licensing agency during the initial provider onboarding process. This process is completed using each state's public child care licensing portal, where records and inspection reports are available for all licensed programs for a minimum of three years. A program whose license status has been verified by the Wonderschool team will indicate the Wonderschool logo next to their school name on the listing results page. Wonderschool advises non-licensed programs (e.g., forest schools and microschools that are not licensable under current regulations in most states) that they follow state licensing guidelines to the best of their ability.

What does the licensing process entail?

Licensing requirements vary from state to state. Most state licensing requirements include a background check for every adult working in the program. If a program director moves from one state to another, re-licensing is required to meet the requirements of the new state. Licensure ensures children’s health and safety, provides a baseline of quality of the program, and allows for peace of mind for parents. Licensed program directors also implement systems in place to ensure compliance, such as:

  • Maintaining appropriate teacher-to-student ratios
  • Maintaining sound safety standards and practices
  • Maintaining a high level of compliance in ongoing licensing inspection reports (states perform in-person inspections and site visits regularly to ensure compliance, quality, and safety)

Below are some resources to check the licensing requirements of your state:

How We Monitor Licensing Compliance

Wonderschool completes a licensing history check on each program listed on Wonderschool's Child Care Finder to ensure the program remains in good standing every 30 days. In the event of a serious licensing infraction, or a series of infractions or complaints, Wonderschool may decide to remove (temporarily or permanently) a program from the Child Care Finder.

What if a program is not operating within compliance of licensing regulations?

If a program is found to be in violation of their state’s regulations, we may remove their listings from the Child Care Finder. If a citation, complaint, or investigation is initiated for any child care program or provider using the Wonderschool platform, Wonderschool will always cooperate with agencies to ensure full resolution.

Safety by Design

We’ve designed the process of finding child care with safety and quality in mind.

Provider listings

Many providers share their background and credentials, teaching philosophies, curriculum schedules, and photos of the day-to-day on their listing pages. Read thoroughly to see if their learning styles suit your child’s learning needs. You may see a section in a provider’s listing called Badges: Wonderschool requires providers to submit documentation that is authenticated prior to issuing education and experience badges.

Ratings and reviews

Take a look at the ratings and reviews from other families to learn more about the programs. Families can only leave feedback for the programs in which their children are enrolled, so that you know it is their feedback based on actual experiences.

Communicate and pay on Wonderschool

Keep yourself and payments protected by staying on our platform throughout the entire process, from communication and tour scheduling to enrollment and tuition payment.

  • Payments: Our secure billing platform ensures your money gets to the provider. If you use Wonderschool’s automated billing option, the Wonderschool team can assist you to help resolve issues with a provider.
  • Messaging: Our messaging service is secure, letting you ask providers questions or schedule program site tours with peace of mind. Once your child starts the program, you can continue to receive real-time activity updates or share attendance records.

Get in Touch for Support

Our team is available to help make things right. If you have questions or encounter issues related to enrollment applications, billing, or platform experience, let us know how we can help by emailing us at [email protected]