MARC VASCONCELLOS/THE ENTERPRISE

Bay State parents entrust 175,000 children to day care centers every day. Above, 5-year-old Hunter Darre of Raynham, 4-year-old Jasmine Merritt of Raynham, center, and 5-year-old Emily Benson of Middleboro, play a game at Learning Loft Pre-School in Raynham.

By JULIE JETTE
The Patriot Ledger

For everything from cars to nursing homes, there’s a wealth of information to help people make sure they make the safest, most sensible choice.

But, in Massachusetts at least, that’s far more difficult to do for day care. Despite the high cost of programs and their necessity for working parents, there is only limited information available on the Internet, and none that can be used to compare the quality or safety of programs.-

Parents who want to know about the disciplinary record of a child care program can request it from their regional office of the state Department of Early Education and Care. But deciphering the reports isn’t easy, according to Doug Baird, director of Associated Early Care and Education, a Boston nonprofit that runs day care centers and supports a network of home-based programs.

“It’s bureaucrat-ese,” he said. “Parents deserve a break here. And they deserve good, simple, straightforward information about what’s good and what’s not.”

Some states offer rating systems that enable parents to visit a Web site and see if a particular program meets certain criteria. Others allow people to check programs’ inspection reports online.

AMELIA KUNHARDT/The Patriot Ledger

Elizabeth Annabelle Sbragia, front, and Ella Pristas play in the infant room.

The Department of Early Education and Care plans to substantially beef up its information technology system to enable parents to get more information about programs.

In December, the state Information Technology Division awarded the department a $1.8 million grant to get started on such a system, and has committed to spending $8.2 million more over the next two years.

An upgraded system would also enable the agency to better track teachers’ credentials at programs, keep an eye on turnover, and make it easier to get voucher payments to programs that accept children whose care is subsidized.

“Our ability to provide information to parents is really key. We collect a lot of this data, but I think it’s important for us to be able to provide it to parents in a quick and easy and usable format,” said Matt Veno, a spokesman for the state child care agency.

Julie Jette may be reached at jjette@ledger.com.

AMELIA KUNHARDT/The Patriot Ledger

A sign at Pilgrim Child Care in Duxbury reminds people to close the gate to a room designed for care of children from birth to about 20 months.