Exploring parents’ child care search and decision-making processes

•Parents’ child care search strategies significantly predicted their care choices.•43.1 % of preschool parents considered only one provider during their child care search.•Parents were more likely to use a child care program if they knew the provider through a personal relationship.•Parents who select family child care tend to use referral agencies, community services, or ads during their search. Searching for child care is an important stageof the parental child care decision-making process. Although previous studies have identified a series of factors related to parents’ child care decision-making, little is known about parents’ child care search processes. Using the 2012 National Survey of Early Careand Education (NSECE) dataset, this study aims to identify family and community characteristics related to parents’ child care search behaviors and their final care choices. The study examined the search strategies of parents of preschoolers (36–60 months), including the type of programs that parents consider, the number of options that parents consider, and the sources of information they consult in the process of making child care decisions. Results showed that 43 % of parents only considered one option during their child care search. The type of child care considered, and the source of information parents used during their child care search were significantly related to their final choices. As many states are currently developing the consumer education program to help parents select child care arrangement, the findings from this study have direct implications for policy and practices.