Multiple types of child care are exempt from state licensure or regulation yet research has shown that stricter adherence to standards for a child care program predicts higher quality programs. This study compares three groups of church-sponsored child care centers operating at different regulatory levels and the global child care quality and teacher-child interactions in these child care centers within one state. The hypothesis was supported that centers that follow more strict regulation have higher global quality scores. The findings have implications for policy makers and the obligations legislators have for implementing child care standards at the state level. (author abstract)