Press Kit
Everything you need to write about Shortlist. Last updated: May 2026. Questions? Email [email protected].
Coverage
What Shortlist Is
Shortlist is an independent childcare research service. Every provider is pulled from state licensing registries, then verified against inspection records, staff data, ratios, accreditations, and pricing from public sources and direct provider engagement. The result is a searchable database parents can filter by neighborhood, type, age range, and price — no sponsored listings, no paid placements, no signup required.
Shortlist covers Seattle (including the Eastside), Chicago (including the North Shore), Denver, Kansas City, Charlotte, Austin, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
By the Numbers As of May 2026
What Makes Shortlist Different
Documented profiles, not user ratings. Every provider gets a written profile based on inspection records, staff qualifications, ratios, program quality, and pricing transparency — not how many parents left a five-star review. Parents see the underlying evidence, not a popularity contest.
No signup, no paywall. The full database, city pages, methodology, and tools are free and open. No account required to browse, compare, or share.
No sponsored content. Providers cannot pay for placement or preferred treatment. Shortlist is independent and ad-free.
Original Research
Shortlist publishes neighborhood-level cost-per-hour analysis that normalizes for schedule differences across providers — not just monthly tuition.
Seattle cost report · Chicago · Denver · Kansas City
About the Founder
Diana Clemons is a parent based in Seattle and a senior product leader with 15 years in data and analytics. She built Shortlist after moving to Seattle and discovering that no single source compared daycares on the things that actually matter — not Google reviews, but inspection records, staff tenure, ratios, and what families actually pay. The methodology draws on publicly available licensing data, inspection records, and direct provider engagement.
Key Links
Homepage: shortlist.guide
Media fact sheet: shortlist.guide/media-fact-sheet
Seattle: shortlist.guide/seattle
Chicago: shortlist.guide/chicago
Denver: shortlist.guide/denver
Kansas City: shortlist.guide/kc
Charlotte: shortlist.guide/charlotte
Austin: shortlist.guide/austin