A recent transplant from Chicago to Seattle, Diana Clemons ’10 was missing her “village.” After relocating with her husband and young son in early 2025, the product manager for investment research company Morningstar suddenly found herself searching for daycare in an unfamiliar city, without the trusted recommendations from friends and family she’d relied on back home.
Leaning on the data and analytics skills she uses in her day job, Clemons built spreadsheets to compare programs and sifted through websites before finding the right fit in a small faith-based preschool in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. Convinced “there had to be an easier way,” she launched Shortlist (shortlist.guide), a website that helps families compare childcare options and build a manageable “short list” of schools to visit.
A year later, Shortlist is available in a handful of major metro areas, including Seattle, Chicago, and Denver. The site is free to use, though Clemons envisions expanding its reach.
“If I can do the legwork and get the data to a place where you can narrow it down to a short list, hopefully that saves parents some time,” she says.
A few lessons from her research:
Don’t chase someone else’s “perfect” preschool.
Soon after arriving in Seattle, Clemons heard repeatedly about a buzzy Spanish- immersion preschool where waitlists could span months. She was instantly interested — until she stepped back and realized it wasn’t actually what her family wanted. “It’s a very personal choice, and preferences depend on what you as a parent prioritize,” she says. Rather than focusing on the program everyone else recommends, think about your own priorities: schedule, location, educational philosophy, cost, and culture.
Look beyond the first page of Google.
One surprise Clemons discovered while building Shortlist was how many quality providers never appeared in her initial searches. Some lacked marketing budgets, while others were categorized differently than she expected. “There are more options than you think,” she says. A preschool, faith-based program, or home daycare may all serve the same age group but show up in different places online.
Pay attention to the adults, not just the amenities.
Clemons learned to tune into factors such as teacher turnover and caregiver engagement. At the school she chose for her son, Clemons was moved by the way teachers talked about children’s interests and learning. “The feeling that caregivers wanted to be there and the care that they took,” she says, convinced her she had found the right fit.
Use data — then trust your instincts.
State inspection reports, licensing records, and staff retention rates can help you narrow a long list to a handful of promising options, but “there’s nothing better than going in person and seeing [if ] teachers are smiling and the kids are happy and engaged,” she says. “No data can replace that.”