Although it’s hard to find the data, I’ve read that at least 22 states participate in the system including Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. If you are interested in learning more about the program type “Quality Rating System” and your state in your favorite search engine and if your state has a program, it should pop up.
In Illinois, information can be found at inccrra.org. Inccrra stands for Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Once you’ve found the website, click on the words “Quality Rating System” on the right side of the page. Then click on the “Quality Rating System” tab and pick “QRS star providers” from the drop down menu. This will provide you with a list of daycares and home daycares, and how many stars they have.
Once you’ve picked a center, visit them and judge for yourself. While a star rating scale is great, nothing substitutes your best judgment for what’s best for your little one.
Great idea! My province up in Canada, Alberta, has a similar system called Accreditation. Accredited centers have to prove that they go above and beyond the base regulations put out by the Provincial govt and must score at least 80% on their marking scale. It is reviewed yearly, and every three years each accredited center must go through the entire process again to become re-accredited. Many parents do not know about the program, or do not understand how it helps set centers apart and help them to choose quality care. I hope that parents find the tools you listed helpful :)
ReplyDeleteMe too Kez, it can be a pain to follow the rules to get the stars, so more parents need to know about it so it does us some good!
DeleteAre star ratings only point in time? I've found a good question to ask a center us their turnover rate - more longevity with care providers shows more stability.
ReplyDeleteEntering for basket #1