The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval program is an independent testing procedure whose sole intent is to evaluate a variety of products introduced and marketed to the parent/child consumer market.
The testing involves a multi-step process conducted over an eight-week period.
The National Parenting Center gives parents, children, and educators the opportunity to examine a variety of submitted products. The testers are encouraged to play with, build, read about, and judge by the reactions of the children, each product’s quality.
Participants fill out questionnaires for each product they test. Evaluated are each product’s level of desirability, quality, sturdiness, interactivity, packaging, stimulation, engagement, and other ingredients essential in the make-up of a quality product. Test results are based on both statistical averaging and comments received from the parent/testers.
The Seal of Approval program is designed to continue the efforts of The National Parenting Center, which was chartered in 1989 to help create better informed parents as they tackle the challenges and enjoy the many rewards of parenting.
The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval recognition does not imply or guarantee the safety of products listed.
During this unprecedented time of pain, uncertainty, fear and anxiety we are all struggling to find some normalcy, some sanity, somewhere we can feel safe. We are right there with you and understand everything you are going through as we are all in this together.
HOW IT WORKS
A Seal of Approval review involves a multi-step process conducted over an eight-week period.
Parents and children, experience and review submitted products and services either already released or coming to market.
Participants fill out questionnaires for each product or service they test. They score based on 13 levels of criteria including quality, appeal, design, price, packaging, directions, desirability, stimulation, replay factor and more. Results are based on both statistical averaging and comments received by testers.
There are three testing periods each year:
Report Period
SPRING '22
FALL ‘22
HOLIDAY ‘22
Testing Begins
February 15th
June 1st
September 1st
Submission Deadline
March 11th
June 24th
September 23rd
Testing Ends
April 24th
July 31st
October 30th
Report Issued
May 10th
August 17th
November 16th
Each submission must be accompanied by a $295 product testing fee (we offer multiple submission discounts). This fee covers the cost of testing, nothing more. It is non-refundable and has no bearing on the result of the testing. Additionally, we require three samples of the product or access codes for online submissions.