PMP Score vs. Licensing, Quality First, and Parent Reviews
The PMP Score is Pick My Preschool's own evidence-based comparison measure. It combines several different kinds of information, each with different limits. It is not an Arizona government score, a Quality First rating, an endorsement, or a prediction of a child's experience. Review each underlying source and its date before drawing a conclusion.
Published by Pick My Preschool · Last reviewed
Four inputs, one separate PMP calculation
The current PMP methodology allocates up to 100 points across four categories: blended parent-review evidence (35 points), Arizona Department of Health Services licensing and safety evidence (25), Quality First (20), and PMP profile-confidence signals (20). The displayed total may be capped by separate safety rules. The weights and eligibility rules describe PMP's calculation; they do not change or replace any source agency's own records or judgment.
- Parent reviews (up to 35): a blended 1–5 rating is converted to points (rating ÷ 5 × 35); the eligible score requires at least five verified parent reviews. A provisional score can include unverified review-feed evidence and is not an eligible rank.
- Licensing and safety (up to 25): starts at 25 and deducts for recorded formal enforcement actions, a citation-per-inspection rate above the PMP comparison benchmark, complaint-driven inspections, and inspection counts over six. A separate cap can limit the final total.
- Quality First (up to 20): PMP maps the available program rating to its own points. A five-star Quality First rating maps to 20, four to 17, three to 14, two to 10, and one to 8. Unrated/missing Quality First status maps to 10 in this PMP component; it is not a statement that the program earned an official rating.
- PMP confidence (up to 20): up to 10 points for a verified profile claim plus up to 10 for five completeness checks (2 points each). This reflects profile evidence completeness, not a government inspection result.
What the score does—and does not—say
Arizona DHS licensing records are official agency records for a regulated facility. Read the current license status, the exact campus, inspection/survey documents, and any follow-up directly in AZ Care Check. A cited deficiency, a provider's written response, a later follow-up, and formal enforcement are different record events; a blended PMP number cannot explain them all.
Quality First is an Arizona early-learning quality improvement and rating system administered by First Things First. Its quality framework looks beyond basic licensing. A PMP component based on a Quality First result is only PMP's conversion of that published information; use First Things First for its meaning, current participation, and rating details.
A parent-review average summarizes reviewers' experiences on the sources PMP can verify. Reviews are individual reports, not an inspection, representative survey, or guarantee of a future experience. Check the displayed platform, review count, and date, and consider what matters to your family.
A missing score is not zero and not a negative judgment: required evidence may be incomplete or not current enough to score. A provisional score is explicitly not an eligible rank. Even an eligible total can hide different category-level evidence, so open the breakdown and verify source dates.
A careful way to use a PMP Score
- Check whether it is marked eligible, provisional, or not yet scored; do not compare those statuses as if they were equivalent.
- Read the four category values, the “before caps” total, any applied safety cap, missing requirements, and evidence date.
- Open the official ADHS record for the exact campus and read dated findings alongside corrections or later agency actions.
- Check the current Quality First information with First Things First; “unrated” is not a rating.
- Use parent reviews as one perspective and ask the program direct, specific questions during a visit.
- Compare the evidence with your family's practical needs using the preschool comparison worksheet.
Limitations and change over time
Source records and provider details can change. The score shown is based on evidence available to Pick My Preschool at the displayed evidence date; it may not reflect a later agency update, a newly published Quality First result, or a parent's latest experience. Missing, delayed, or unmatched data should be treated as unknown and checked with the source—not as proof of a clean record or poor care.
PMP's point mapping and thresholds are its own methodology and may be revised. The score is a research aid for comparing evidence, not a substitute for licensing decisions, professional advice, a school visit, or a family's own judgment.
Official sources
Try these checks on public school profiles
These are alphabetical examples from Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale, not recommendations or claims about prices or safety. Check each profile's evidence dates and confirm details with the school and official sources.
The PMP Score is a proprietary Pick My Preschool comparison measure, not an official government rating, licensing decision, Quality First rating, endorsement, or guarantee. Confirm underlying facts with their original sources.