Child Care Market Rate Survey Practices and Policies of States, Territories, and Tribes, 2005-2006

The primary objective of this study was to describe current market rate survey methods, practices, and policies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five territories, and the 28 Native American tribes that conduct their own market rate survey. A market rate survey is a tool to collect up-to-date information on what facilities, within given geographic areas, charge parents for various types of child care. A second objective was to identify the validity issues that emerge from this comparison of current market rate survey practices. Variables are organized under six specific functions representing the market rate survey process. These were: (1) administration/organization of the market rate survey, (2) facility population and sample, (3) data collection, (4) data analysis, (5) dissemination of the results, and (6) rate setting policy.