States With Rating Systems

[nannyde]

The program for star quality rating system in my state doesn't rate daycares based on how much love they offer. They are rated based on what curriculums and early childhood developmental assessment methods they offer. 5 stars means they offer more curriculum, the providers have more trainings and they follow an approved curricula that allows for the children in their programs to be assessed using a developmentally appropriate and approved method. Programs are rated on things such as:

Family Partnerships

Providers/early educators involve parents in the learning process and respect them.

Teaching Materials and Strategies

Providers/early educators use learning materials that effectively prepare children for school.

Tracking Learning

Providers/early educators track children's school readiness progress and regularly
share findings with parents.

Teacher Training and Education

Providers/early educators have the preparation and training needed to best prepare children for school.

Child Safety

The program space is clean and there are rules that help keep children safe and healthy

If you meet the requirements in those areas, you receive points for it. I personally think the rating system is a good thing and am looking forward to receiving recognition for the things I have done to go above and beyond the basic minimum......and I NEVER sacrificed my family so that I could further my training and I am a bit hurt that you think that because someone did go above and beyond to receive additional trainings that it was perhaps because I don't or didn't put my family first.

I also want to say, "what Sugar said....."

Ugh

After reading this it just brought back why I don't like the QRS stuff and child net.

Seriously... WHEN did taking care of kids turn into educating kids? They are NOT one and the same. When the State started saying quality was in ANY part education they lost me.

All this money to implement the QRS and you know what the state pays for an infant state paid kid in Iowa? 120 a week for as much as a 50 hour week. $2.40 an hour for an infant and about $2.15 an hour for a "preschooler" aged two to five.

For $2.15 an hour how the SAMHELL can they possibly have an education along with care?

Our state needs to put their money into paying for CARE before they spend a penny on education. We can't AFFORD education when we don't even have enough money to pay for good care.

We need to get our priorities straight and start paying providers a decent salary to supervise, feed, house, and care for the kids and start worrying about adding education to it when we have the money.

(not directed to you Black cuz you know I luvsya... just sayin)

[Heidi]

I agree, Nanny! Education is important, but the most important thing, in my mind, is that children under 3 or 4 are ready to learn by being able to listen, follow directions, wait their turn, communicate needs, have some basic manners .

Some life skills, like putting on your coat and shoes, etc, are handy too.

Of course, they also need lots of love, opportunities to explore safely, and to know what mutual respect is!

[wdmmom]

This whole conversation reminds me of what a parent told me last week. "My son is here to play and learn to share, be friends, and grow. He has his entire life to get an education. We don't need to start that at 3, 4 or 5 years old."

And this is the same exact reason why I chose to work for this family! I think children age 6 weeks to 5 years need to learn to play toys, crawl, walk, talk, engage in sharing, conversation, using utensils, potty training, etc. Sure, I will help teach them colors and shapes and ABC's and days of the week but I am not a teacher. If your son/daughter doesn't know this information when he/she leaves my care, I shouldn't be responsible in any way whether they were able to retain the information or not. I don't expect them to remember me after a few years either. It's par for the course.

[Blackcat31]

Ugh

After reading this it just brought back why I don't like the QRS stuff and child net.

Seriously... WHEN did taking care of kids turn into educating kids? They are NOT one and the same. When the State started saying quality was in ANY part education they lost me.

All this money to implement the QRS and you know what the state pays for an infant state paid kid in Iowa? 120 a week for as much as a 50 hour week. $2.40 an hour for an infant and about $2.15 an hour for a "preschooler" aged two to five.

For $2.15 an hour how the SAMHELL can they possibly have an education along with care?

Our state needs to put their money into paying for CARE before they spend a penny on education. We can't AFFORD education when we don't even have enough money to pay for good care.

We need to get our priorities straight and start paying providers a decent salary to supervise, feed, house, and care for the kids and start worrying about adding education to it when we have the money.

(not directed to you Black cuz you know I luvsya... just sayin)

I know ya do and it is right back at ya

However, there is a difference between what I want to do and what you do. You want to babysit and provide the basic care. I want to teach and educate. I want to have a specific age group that attends. I do not want to do mixed age groups and perform all the 'care' parts of it. I don't want to change anyone, toilet train them or worry about whether or not they can transition between formula and table foods. Now I know there is a certain amount of care that will always be necessary when dealing with kids of any age but I want that part to really be minimal.

I want to do the whole preschool education thing. I earned the degree to do it and do not like that other than getting a job in Head Start, there really is no place for that here in my community. Don't get me wrong, I do not 100% agree with the fact that education is focusing on the younger and younger crowd of children BUT, it is what it is and since I have the education/training I am going to take full advantage of it.

I think that there are two separate and distinct types of child care out there and in reality there should only be one. Child care should be the basic foundations of caring for our children in the highest quality way.....just like you do/offer. Preschool should be school. It should not have any of the same aspects of what a babysitter or caregiver provides. I do not want to provide care. I want to provide education for the kids whose parents already have a good thing going in the care department.

I know we have had numerous convos about how there is no proof of what early education does for a child but it seems as though that is where the money is and until we can change how parents parent their children it doesn't look like it is going to change much.

I completely see your point of view and I wish I could jump on the bandwagon with it but parents really do not want to pay more than a few dollars a day for care. I don't know of any other way to bring in more money or compete with the stay at home mom who is doing the same thing as I am minus the student loans and college degree. I think you can argue that with me, but YOU are the rarity in the field. I have honestly not come across another provider who is comparitive. I know I am right in saying that or you wouldn't be the "daycare whisperer" or be the focus of so much criticism on this board. People just do not see how much blood sweat and tears you have put into doing what you do.

We need providers like you to make sure the kids have all the tools necessary to be ready to attend a more structured environment.

I have done daycare now for almost 2 decades and I really want to move in another direction without leaving the field. There is no other place to go other than offering what is in demand.

[mismatchedsocks]

I am in Wi too, so its new. But I just got accredited and am a 5 star!

I think youngstar will take some getting used to, but there are some things that I think they could be more lax about, like the points for schooling being so much compared to your actual program!

[Meeko]

The program for star quality rating system in my state doesn't rate daycares based on how much love they offer. They are rated based on what curriculums and early childhood developmental assessment methods they offer. 5 stars means they offer more curriculum, the providers have more trainings and they follow an approved curricula that allows for the children in their programs to be assessed using a developmentally appropriate and approved method. Programs are rated on things such as:

Family Partnerships

Providers/early educators involve parents in the learning process and respect them.

Teaching Materials and Strategies

Providers/early educators use learning materials that effectively prepare children for school.

Tracking Learning

Providers/early educators track children's school readiness progress and regularly
share findings with parents.

Teacher Training and Education

Providers/early educators have the preparation and training needed to best prepare children for school.

Child Safety

The program space is clean and there are rules that help keep children safe and healthy

If you meet the requirements in those areas, you receive points for it. I personally think the rating system is a good thing and am looking forward to receiving recognition for the things I have done to go above and beyond the basic minimum......and I NEVER sacrificed my family so that I could further my training and I am a bit hurt that you think that because someone did go above and beyond to receive additional trainings that it was perhaps because I don't or didn't put my family first.

I also want to say, "what Sugar said....."

Oh hon...I never meant to hurt you feelings! I'm all for adults getting as much education as they want.

I understand that various states are doing things a bit differently....here, they are just toying with a program right now...but it's not very popular because of the confusion it can cause. What irks me is that the rating system makes parents think that those with a higher rating are better places. The fact is they are just different.

Some parents are going to assume that 2 stars means a lousy, dirty day care while 5 means a great one. When the only difference is what they offer. Not all parents are looking for SCHOOL for their 2 year old's. Some just want a loving home away from home.

I also have a feeling that it will cause a "rating race" in parents....

"We have our little Phoebe in a FIVE star center!. What rating is YOURS?" As if any child who goes to less than a five star facility is going to grow up a complete mumbling idiot.

Maybe some states have tweaked the system so that parents understand it better. Here...it just means one thing. Higher means BETTER and that's not fair.

It means I will HAVE to give up family time and attend more classes just so I can say I did.. It means I will HAVE to offer a full pre-school education even though I am not a teacher. It means I will HAVE to change my day care to what I don't want in order to stay in business.

Right now I am well known across the valley for having a great day care and I have a long waiting list. But as time passes, my list will shrink unless I make the changes to get a high score, because parents will feel I must be less than great if my "stars" are not high.

It's like the government is going to decide whether apples are better than oranges. Day cares should NEVER be lumped under a universal rating system because they are all run so differently.

[Blackcat31]

Oh hon...I never meant to hurt you feelings! I'm all for adults getting as much education as they want.

I understand that various states are doing things a bit differently....here, they are just toying with a program right now...but it's not very popular because of the confusion it can cause. What irks me is that the rating system makes parents think that those with a higher rating are better places. The fact is they are just different.

Some parents are going to assume that 2 stars means a lousy, dirty day care while 5 means a great one. When the only difference is what they offer. Not all parents are looking for SCHOOL for their 2 year old's. Some just want a loving home away from home.

I also have a feeling that it will cause a "rating race" in parents....

"We have our little Phoebe in a FIVE star center!. What rating is YOURS?" As if any child who goes to less than a five star facility is going to grow up a complete mumbling idiot.

Maybe some states have tweaked the system so that parents understand it better. Here...it just means one thing. Higher means BETTER and that's not fair.

It means I will HAVE to give up family time and attend more classes just so I can say I did.. It means I will HAVE to offer a full pre-school education even though I am not a teacher. It means I will HAVE to change my day care to what I don't want in order to stay in business.

Right now I am well known across the valley for having a great day care and I have a long waiting list. But as time passes, my list will shrink unless I make the changes to get a high score, because parents will feel I must be less than great if my "stars" are not high.

It's like the government is going to decide whether apples are better than oranges. Day cares should NEVER be lumped under a universal rating system because they are all run so differently.

YES!! That is exactly what needs to change. They need to catagorize the facilities based on what they are (ie. home childcare, center, early childhood pre-school, etc...) and then award them stars based on how well they do the job in that catagory. That would eliminate the confusion, simplify the search for parents, ease the fear of the workers/owners of these facilties and give recognition to those that do their job above and beyond.

I also do not agree with the fact that some of these rating systems are requiring facitilities to change what they already do to something the state dictates they should do. We should all be allowed to operate in a manner we feel we are best at doing.

[Meeko]

i agree, nanny! Education is important, but the most important thing, in my mind, is that children under 3 or 4 are ready to learn by being able to listen, follow directions, wait their turn, communicate needs, have some basic manners .

Some life skills, like putting on your coat and shoes, etc, are handy too.

Of course, they also need lots of love, opportunities to explore safely, and to know what mutual respect is!

oh ditto and amen!!

[gelbesonn]

I didn't read all the discussion, but I just wanted to say that in Vermont, we have STARS system too. I am in the process of applying and as far as I know you don't need to have any sort of curriculum with your kids.
Here is a summary of it:

Providers may apply for STARS recognition in five areas:

1. Compliance with state regulations;
2. Staff qualifications and training;
3. Interaction with and overall support of children, families, and communities;
4. How thoroughly providers assess what they do and plan for improvements; and
5. The strength of the program’s operating policies and business practices.

One-star programs (1 - 4 points) are examining their practices to enhance the services they provide. They may be fairly new, just starting on a path of improvement and growth, or be stronger in one area.

Two-star programs (5 - 8 points) are making a commitment to strengthen their practices. They may have made some progress in many areas or more progress in one or two areas.

Three-star programs (9 -11 points) have made improvements and are working to reach specific goals. They have either made substantial progress in two or three areas or have made some improvements across all five areas.

Four-star programs (12-14 points) are established programs that have met several standards of quality in all five areas. Many four-star programs are also nationally accredited.

Five-star programs (15 - 17 points) are outstanding in all five areas. Many five-star programs are also nationally accredited.

[WImom]

I'm in WI too and haven't signed up for Youngstar. I don't have state paid kids so I feel I don't need it. Unless my enrollment really dies down and its because I don't have a youngstar rating I'll do something about it. But right now I have enough going on and just don't want to give the time to it.