Quality Matters
Your child's early years are very important. That is why, as a parent, you must demand the best care for them.
Research indicates that 90% of a person's intellectual, emotional and social ability is formed by the age of three, making the early years a vitally important time in a child's life.
We know from 40 years of research that children who receive high-quality care:
- Demonstrate greater social skills
- Excel in reading and math
- Have better school attendance records
- Are more motivated to learn and have a higher commitment to school
- Are more likely to graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary education or training
- Exhibit a lower rate of unemployment
- Have the potential to have higher earnings over their lifetime
A child's earliest teachers must love, respect, and nurture them. Selecting a provider who connect with young children emotionally is critical. It's very important that a family selects a provider who reads to their child every day, encourages curiousity, and allows a child to explore the world around him/her.
Looking for Child Care?
Look for a Qualistar Rating
What is a Qualistar Rating?
Developed by 150 early childhood experts, the Qualistar Rating measures quality in licensed early learning programs, both home and center based that serve children birth to kindergarten. This four star rating system (with four being the highest) outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the program and provides a detailed plan for continuous quality improvement.
What does it measure?
Trained observers, who spend several hours in each classroom, collect information on five different quality components. All of the points that programs earn in each of these quality components are added together to arrive at a Qualistar Rating.
What are the Five Quality Components?
1. Learning Environment
Information collected about a program’s learning activities, physical environment, health and safety, and language development.
2. Family Partnership
Information collected on ways a program develops relationships with families, serves as a resource for them and offers them opportunities to be part of their children’s early learning experience.
3.Training and Education
Information collected on the work experience and formal early childhood education achieved by the providers working in the home or center.
4. Adult to Child Ratios
Information collected on the ratio of staff members to children. Programs with lower ratios and groups allow quality individual learning experiences based on a child’s needs.
5. Accreditation
Information collected on whether the program is accredited through a national accrediting agency.
How Can I, as a Parent, find out about Qualistar
Rated Programs?
- When searching for child care, online, or by email, or by phone, be sure to look for and ask for programs that have a Qualistar Rating in your area.
- Download a program’s Early Learning Report from www.qualistar.org. This is a short summary of the strengths and areas for quality improvement in a child care program. The report outlines the points that programs scored in each of the quality components of the Qualistar Rating and provides the overall star level that a program received.
Qualistar Ratings in Summit County
Center Programs with a Current Qualistar Rating
Carriage House Early Learning Center: 3 stars
Lake Dillon Preschool & Early Learning Center: 3 stars
Little Red Schoolhouse: 3 stars
Summit Education Center Preschool: 3 stars
Past participants in the Qualistar Rating program include: Dillon Valley Elementary Preschool, Frisco Elementary Preschool, Silverthorne Elementary Preschool, Summit Cove Elementary Preschool, Upper Blue Elementary Preschool, Linda Farrell (home provider), and Diane George (home provider).
For more information about local Qualistar Ratings and/or how to participate call Lucinda Burns at 970-513-1170 x307.