Hundreds of Georgia child care centers kept favorable state quality ratings after serious safety violations, including cases in which children were injured, endangered or died, according to a review of a decade of state records. The findings raise questions about what the state’s Quality Rated program tells families. The voluntary, three-star system is intended to recognize care that exceeds basic licensing standards. Participating centers can qualify for taxpayer-funded subsidies and bonuses, but serious safety incidents generally do not trigger a review of their star ratings. In Powder Springs, a 1-year-old girl suffered chemical burns after bleach was left within reach in her classroom at Oxford Academy Preschool in 2023. State records say the center’s director told employees to lie about what happened. The center was fined $5,000, but its rating was later raised to two stars. Within a year, it received another citation and a $598 fine for leaving potentially hazardous items accessible to children. It still has a two-star rating. Other cases involved more severe injuries. Seven-month-old Layla Reeves suffered a skull fracture at Childtime Childcare in Kingsland in 2022. The center received a three-star rating within two years. In Atlanta, 7-month-old Ocean Carter died in 2021 after being placed to sleep on pillows on the floor at Easterseals Child Development Center-Sylvan. The center was fined $499 and later cited for supervision or discipline lapses, but it retained its two-star rating. In Lithonia, Excell Preparatory Center was cited at least nine times for severe safety violations after joining the program in 2017. Its license was suspended and it closed twice in 2026, yet it remained Quality Rated. Quality Rated assigns one to three stars based on an unannounced classroom observation and a portfolio submitted by the center. State officials say the ratings measure overall quality and are separate from licensing enforcement. Critics argue that a rating families may interpret as a sign of safety can be misleading if it does not reflect serious violations or injuries. Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Amy Jacobs said the agency is reviewing both its rating and licensing systems. The department is planning changes for 2027 that could let it remove a center’s rating after rule violations or a major incident involving harm to a child, she said. The proposal is still under review and is not department policy. Jacobs has said safety is the agency’s highest priority and that individual incidents may be addressed through licensing action. But the cases documented in state records show that serious incidents did not consistently affect centers’ quality ratings. In some cases, centers continued to receive state payments after violations. Georgia differs from several other states that can lower or revoke a center’s quality rating after abuse, harm to a child or repeated serious violations. Advocates say families need ratings that clearly reflect safety concerns, while state officials say the program is designed to help providers improve care. For parents choosing child care, the gap matters: a star rating can help compare programs, but Georgia’s current system does not guarantee that a center with a high rating has had no serious safety incidents.