A new report by The Hunt Institute ranks Florida and New Mexico—both built on Wonderschool technology—as the two highest-scoring platforms in the U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As families nationwide struggle to find clear, accurate information about child care options, a new analysis from The Hunt Institute highlights two states that are raising the standard: Florida and New Mexico. Both states' systems, built on Wonderschool's technology, earned the top scores in the Institute's first-ever National Child Care Finder Scale.

The Hunt Institute, an affiliate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, evaluated child care search tools across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The analysis found that while most states offer a child care search tool, many lack real-time vacancy information, transparent pricing, detailed program descriptions, and comprehensive quality indicators, making it difficult for parents to compare options with confidence. Of 51 systems analyzed, only six were designated "Exemplary" for building platforms that provide families with comprehensive, trustworthy, and current information on their child care options in the state.

Wonderschool's partners took the top two spots:

• No. 1 Florida: Recognized for its comprehensive provider profiles and real-time data.
• No. 2 New Mexico: Praised for its robust search filters and unique "Apply for Enrollment" integration.

"Finding child care is one of the most important decisions families make, yet there's been a huge gap between what the best technology can do and what families are actually experiencing," said Chris Bennett, CEO and Founder of Wonderschool. "Both Florida and New Mexico were early to recognize the opportunity to bring the best of consumer search to the child care decision-making process. Together, we've built tools where parents can see real-time availability, transparent pricing, quality ratings, and program details all in one place."

The report highlights the potential of fully integrated systems. New Mexico's finder, built on Wonderschool, was noted as the only platform in the nation that allows parents to both search for child care and apply for enrollment directly within the same platform. This level of integration moves the platform from a static directory to a dynamic tool that actively connects families with care.

"We're focused on making Universal Child Care real for New Mexico families—easy to understand, easy to access, and built around family choice," said Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. "By partnering with Wonderschool on a unified portal where families can search and apply for child care in one place, we're removing barriers that have made finding early care and education harder than it should be. We appreciate The Hunt Institute for lifting up this work."

Wonderschool's Child Care Finder offers a configurable, modern search experience that helps families find licensed child care programs faster and with greater clarity. Built for state and local systems, the multilingual, mobile-first Child Care Finder connects directly to licensing, subsidy, and enrollment systems, enabling families the ability to search, save, and take next steps toward enrollment on any device while also providing agencies with real-time visibility into supply and demand. The platform allows providers to manage their program profiles, availability, and inquiries in a single place, helping increase transparency and better match families with care that meets their unique needs.

For more information on the National Child Care Finder Scale, visit The Hunt Institute here.

About Wonderschool

Wonderschool's comprehensive technology and business support platform is designed to address every aspect of the child care and early learning ecosystem. Wonderschool's vision is to ensure that quality early care and education are conveniently accessible to every child within a 5-minute radius of their home. As a leader in collaborating with governments and employers, Wonderschool spearheads initiatives to scale and enhance child care access for every community across the country. Learn more at www.wonderschool.com.

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SOURCE Wonderschool