Georgia parents can now see the first day cares, schools and learning centers rated by a new quality assessment gauge that debuted Tuesday.

More than 1,300 institutions that care for young children are participating in the Quality Rated program.

But that’s fewer than one-third of the eligible day cares, after-school programs and early child learning centers.

Governor Nathan Deal, speaking at the Capitol, said he thinks pressure will mount for them to participate.

“I believe the time is fast approaching when parents will ask, ‘Are you quality rated? And if not, why not?’” he told teachers, daycare owners and elected officials assembled for the announcement.

The assessment involves visits by inspectors and can take months. Eula Winfrey is a teacher at Covenant Pre-School in Decatur. Her school is among the first to successfully complete the assessment.

“We’re being constantly monitored, and helped and encouraged," she said, after the event. "We have officials who come in and view and see the process and the progress of the children.”

Parents who want to see how their pre-school or daycare stacks up can visit qualityrated.org.

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