A partnership formed to establish a baseline of child care quality in the Midwest region using performance indicators, and to track changes in quality over time. The study addresses, in a large representative sample, questions concerning the quality of care that child care subsidies are buying, and includes parent surveys and focus groups conducted to better understand parent perceptions of child care quality. The work is linked with Early Head Start research and evaluation in three States (Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri) as well as to a Missouri study of quality in over 500 early childhood settings, and builds on small but important studies within the Midwest region. The performance indicators, data collection strategy and technology are intended for transfer to the States so that they can track quality of care through their subsidized child care programs.