How Many Stars Do You Have

[Country Kids]

No, it will be totally mandatory but they are really, really pushing us for it. It won't go into affect for everyone till summer of 2014 but right now going to do a pilot program.

Once it starts they won't recommend childcares still but they will be letting parents know how many stars you have and what that means.

[Crystal]

Just totaled my total hours in trainings from childcare. They amounted to about 120 hours-not much it seems for as long as I've been doing this. So looking on the registry I'm right around a 7 (a little below). Yea, I thought but the happiness didn't last. As we looked into it, I'm not even at a three!!!!!:confused::confused: I'm short classes in 3 catagories-yes 3 of them by alot. So the hundreds of dollars I have spent on classes, the gas, my time, my familys time, the miles on my car for this! After taking these, I will have more hours in trainings but only be at a 3- So the higher you are on the registry program the more stars you will qualify in the education part of the stars program.

It was suggested for me to take classes but I did this so I could be home for my family, not be away from them. 3 of them are at crucial ages and the other is just little still and the other will be early highschool. By the time I would even get to a 7 the older three will be gone out of the house. I was hoping not to be devoting my life to it at that stage of my life to only be in the field maybe maybe 5 years past that.

It was very, very disheartning for me. One I thought I would have wwwaaayyy more hours then that and two I thought I would be much higher on the scale. So I'm putting into the big guys hands and I know he will guide me to what I'm to do with this. It maybe time to close a great program, stay the same, or go forward. Only he knows!

CK....you are REALLY close! Don't give up! I remember you saying not too long ago that there were several trainings you wanted to take and that you really enjoyed trainings because it was something you did for YOU!!!! You can do it!

[Crystal]

My problem is that I have been in it for the long haul (28 years now) and the long haul is nearly over. I hope to retire in under 10 years. I have no desire to go back to school and take all that time away from my family at this late stage of the game.

Yet I will retire with a low number of stars....as if all my past hard work and experience is for nothing.

I am actually hoping....for the first time......that parents don't listen! At least to the so-called "experts". They need to do their OWN research and make their OWN decisions about daycare.

I stay full pretty much all the time. When I moved my daycare from one city to another this past August...ALL my families followed....something I was proud of. Several parents have to double back to go to work.

I only hope that my reputation carries me through the next 8-10 years. It scares me to think I may end my career on the bottom of the scale.

Meeko, thank you for saying this. This helps me to look at it from a different perspective and it really makes me sad for you.

Where will you be on the scale without going to school? I hope it will be up a little higher than you are thinking! I wonder who you could talk to abut maybe getting some aspects changed...

You are a fabulous provider, I'd hate to see you retire at the bottom of the scale too, because you certainly do not belong there.

[Crystal]

I only plan on doing this for another 4 - 6 yrs. There is no way that a degree will do me any good at this point. I'll have retired before I got it.

This will not even go into effect statewide before January 2016......IF it goes statewide by then. It will still be a voluntary program as well, so Sharlan, you got nothing to worry about! happyface

[sharlan]

This will not even go into effect statewide before January 2016......IF it goes statewide by then. It will still be a voluntary program as well, so Sharlan, you got nothing to worry about! happyface

That makes me feel better.

I have no objections to taking some Saturday classes, but to my knowledge, there really isn't anything available in my area. Our local R&R is less than impressive.

[Crystal]

Wow you are a wonder woman!
How in the world do you get in 12 to 18 credit hours per semester.
Do you do online and classroom hours? Thats truly to be admired. Thats 4 to 6 full time classes per semester, right? Here we could never get in more than one class per evening. 3-5 classes every semester. I took on-line and evening and weekend classes. Now, in my Masters program, I go to school on Saturday and Sunday, two weekends per month from 9 a.m. -5p.m.

I would especially love to get to go to meetings during the day, as I am on several boards and just cannot get away to go to the meetings. You also get to be an assessor and observer, Independent counsultant and Mentor, AMAZING! Geez, it was hard for me to get out just for my co op classes. You must have a great sub that can help you during daycare hours. Need to gets me one of them! Yes, I do have a great sub. And a great assistant (my husband) I realize not everyone has that option.
Well congrats on your achieving your Masters in May! Thats so great.Thanks, it is great! I found out a month ago that graduation is on my Birthday even!!! woohoo!!! Going to Disneyland, as I graduate in Pasadena, Ca. happyface

You are SO sweet! BTW, I LOVE your condescending tone. Really, I do.

[Childminder]

My problem is that I have been in it for the long haul (28 years now) and the long haul is nearly over. I hope to retire in under 10 years. I have no desire to go back to school and take all that time away from my family at this late stage of the game.

Yet I will retire with a low number of stars....as if all my past hard work and experience is for nothing.

I am actually hoping....for the first time......that parents don't listen! At least to the so-called "experts". They need to do their OWN research and make their OWN decisions about daycare.

I stay full pretty much all the time. When I moved my daycare from one city to another this past August...ALL my families followed....something I was proud of. Several parents have to double back to go to work.

I only hope that my reputation carries me through the next 8-10 years. It scares me to think I may end my career on the bottom of the scale..

This is me. Hoping to retire in 10 years except I have been caring for children for 47 years. I feel taking classes is important to revitalize your program on an ongoing basis but to go back for a degree would be a waste of time and money. By the time I got it I'd be to old to do daycare.

[Country Kids]

CK....you are REALLY close! Don't give up! I remember you saying not too long ago that there were several trainings you wanted to take and that you really enjoyed trainings because it was something you did for YOU!!!! You can do it!

Oh, I wish I was close!!! I have 5 categories I have not taken any trainings in. Our CR&R has picked up quiet a bit in the past few years but before that there wasn't much offered. Mostly in the health area. They were actually suprised I had 2 hours in Diversity because thats how limited our classes were. You have to have at least 200 hours of training with a min. of 15 hours in each category to get to where I need to be to be a 3 on the stars program. There are 10 categories and I only have 2 categories over 10. Also, non of the classes I took many years ago for my degree will count as I took nothing in the categories we need-2 years and nothing counts.


So it will take me awhile which is disheartning to me.

[Meeko]

Meeko, thank you for saying this. This helps me to look at it from a different perspective and it really makes me sad for you.

Where will you be on the scale without going to school? I hope it will be up a little higher than you are thinking! I wonder who you could talk to abut maybe getting some aspects changed...

You are a fabulous provider, I'd hate to see you retire at the bottom of the scale too, because you certainly do not belong there.

Thank you for your kind words, Crystal.

My state is still working things out. As of right now...I have a high amount of good "Care About Childcare indicators" according to the local CCRR website. No azctual numbers attached to providers at this time. I will continue to make my voice (or written word!) felt at "HQ"

[Blackcat31]

I have so much to say about this rating system, education for providers and changes in FCC as we know it, that I don't even know where to start. It IS overwhelming and it seems that everyone is either on one side or the other. We have heard some strong opinions both for and against.

I have my own personal thoughts and did start writing a really looooong post about my experience as a child care provider and how where I started out and where I am today as far as education goes but didn't post because it got kind of lengthy...

But I have to say that although there are some disadvantages for some with this rating system, there are also ALOT of advantages too. I feel I am informed about how it will work in my state and what things about our program I will like and some things I won't like but over all, I see these changes as positive. Obvioulsy there is no way to please everyone as we are all in this business for so many different reasons that it would be impossible for everyone to see this as a good thing.

However, I spent several hours one on one time with my area coordinator last night and have to say that some of the predisposed ideas I had about this system is not at all what I thought. For example, the 5 year limit on "credit" for education. Providers here were in an uproar over not being given full credit for their degrees if they were taken over 5 years ago.

What the real rule is, is that if you earned your degree more than 5 years ago, you are required to take a "re-fresher" course in certain areas. Observation and Assessment is one area. Which I think makes a lot of sense. I guess I wouldn't want to go to a hair stylist that hadn't taken any refresher courses in what's new and trending because I don't want to leave my salon with a mullet or a popular hair style from the 80ies now would I?

We are also given an opportunity to "make up" for any points we don't have in the education portion of the rating scale in other areas. So if your current education only gives you say 2 or 3 stars, you can earn other points in community relations that would still allow you to earn more points. My coordinator said it IS possible to reach the highest level of stars with only a CDA (which I personally thing ALL providers should have anyways) and high marks in other areas.

Bottom line for me, I am going to participate. I am going to take what I like about it and leave the rest. As Crystal pointed out many of the things that the government supposedly wants us to do are things we all already do and since child care as we know it IS changing, we need to either get in or get out.

There is not one profession I can think of that hasn't changed or re-structured to meet the needs of our ever changing and growing world. If you went into this field thinking it was always going to be the same way, then that is on you and is a bit unrealistic in all honesty.

We have morphed from a society that used to think it was ok to spank a child or to allow them to ride in cars without safety seats. We have grown from a nation that suffered from various illnesses and diseases only to become more educated and learn about vaccines and ways to cure or eliminate things that once killed people.

Change is happening and it is happening at all times all around us. Common vents on this board from seasoned providers are often about how much parenting has changed over the years. Whether we like it or not, it HAS changed so I guess why shouldn't this end of it change too?

Educating young children IS important and starting at an early age may or may not be beneficial as I have yet to see concrete studies that prove it unequivically but I also know it DOES NOT hurt, harm or slow down development or learning.

Do I like that the government is telling me what I can and can't do now as a small business owner? No, not really...but I also don't necessarily think anything they are telling me I have to do is all that bad either. I also think we are fooling ourselves if we don't think the government is not already telling us what we can and can't do. I think it really has more or less been that way for centuries.

I earned my degree and I am porud of it. I didn't do it to stay in this field or even to serve my DCK's better and although it does help me be competitive and it does benefit the kids I have enrolled, I did it for me. I did it so I know I am the best provider I am capable of being.

So for now, I am chosing to participate in Parent Aware. I am choosing to go through the process and see where I land and how many stars I get. I also know that the rating isn't forever and that I must be re-evaluated after so many years and once I reach the point of being re-evaluated, I will make a decision as to whether I will continue to participate or if I won't.

Heck, when I get to that point, I might be ready to retire. Who knows as things change all the time. But for the time being, I am going to participate because I know that taking control of my business and doing things willingly is alot better and whole lot more fun than being dragged there kicking and screaming the entire way.

[Country Kids]

Yes, I'm also going to participate in it but I would really, really like to work in the pilot program. We have another program that goes with the pilot program and the want some of the providers that are working in the pilot program to also do the other program. Pilot program=45 providers, other program=15. Here's my biggest concern-they still don't know how this is going to work, how to choose the providers to participate and still no coaches have been hired. Both programs start in 3 weeks and they still have no idea how they are doing things. Thats what worries me, they want us on board but have nothing even in place, just packets to give us.

It would be so much better if they had everything in place before even telling us. 95% of the providers know nothing of either program, the ones that do know only do because of attending meetings that have talked about it. So right now it seems like the have the horse before the cart.

[MarinaVanessa]

Yes, I'm also going to participate in it but I would really, really like to work in the pilot program. We have another program that goes with the pilot program and the want some of the providers that are working in the pilot program to also do the other program. Pilot program=45 providers, other program=15. Here's my biggest concern-they still don't know how this is going to work, how to choose the providers to participate and still no coaches have been hired. Both programs start in 3 weeks and they still have no idea how they are doing things. Thats what worries me, they want us on board but have nothing even in place, just packets to give us.

It would be so much better if they had everything in place before even telling us. 95% of the providers know nothing of either program, the ones that do know only do because of attending meetings that have talked about it. So right now it seems like the have the horse before the cart.

Maybe they are still working out the kinks on their end too. They are probably fine tuning the way they will run the program which can take time and are figuring that they don't have to have anything set in stone yet until the program actually starts.

I called last week and I'm still waiting for a response. I havn't even gotten a call back so I'm going to have to call them again today. I don't even know if they've started the pilot program or not or if I can get in ... kinda hard if you don't even get a call back.

[MarinaVanessa]

Yes, I'm also going to participate in it but I would really, really like to work in the pilot program. We have another program that goes with the pilot program and the want some of the providers that are working in the pilot program to also do the other program. Pilot program=45 providers, other program=15. Here's my biggest concern-they still don't know how this is going to work, how to choose the providers to participate and still no coaches have been hired. Both programs start in 3 weeks and they still have no idea how they are doing things. Thats what worries me, they want us on board but have nothing even in place, just packets to give us.

It would be so much better if they had everything in place before even telling us. 95% of the providers know nothing of either program, the ones that do know only do because of attending meetings that have talked about it. So right now it seems like the have the horse before the cart.

Maybe they are still working out the kinks on their end too. They are probably fine tuning the way they will run the program which can take time and are figuring that they don't have to have anything set in stone yet until the program actually starts.

I called last week and I'm still waiting for a response. I havn't even gotten a call back so I'm going to have to call them again today. I don't even know if they've started the pilot program or not or if I can get in ... kinda hard if you don't even get a call back. I'm going to have to call back and talk myself up ... when I last called and left a voicemail I just said I was a FCC provider and wanted in on the pilot program, maybe if this time I say I'm the VP of our child care association and want to share information about their program and pilot to the members in our county I'll get a call back faster ::

[Countrygal]

In my case, I 100% beleive you should get points for having a degree. In fact, I am working on mine now under TEACH. What I don't agree with is that one CANT get 5 stars without a degree. My personal belief is that the point system should be set up that it's only based on points, so if you earn 33 points, you are a 5 star, not if you earn 33 points but don't have a degree, you are a 3 star. KWIM?

I think the education component should absolutely count towards your points, just not so heavily that a non-degreed provider can't be a 4 or 5 star.

Right now, a provider can do EVERYTHING right...health and safety, environment, have a great curriculum, plan "intentionally", have great interactions, have a fantastic business plan and budget, have health insurance and solid contracts, etc, and still only be 3 stars because...no degree. She may have had 1000's of hours of continuing ed over the years (like I did), but since it's not "formal" training, it doesn't count.

I can honestly tell you that so far during my associates degree program, I have not learned a SINGLE thing that I did not already know, from all my continuing ed and my own experience, and I have not changed anything about my program based on my education. Still, I had enough points to be a 4 star program (26), but chose to hold off on the formal rating until they get the "kinks" out, so this next year, I will be either 4 or 5 star, depending on if I get my courses done this spring.

Thumbs up to what she said !! (smilies still not working, sorry)

[jojosmommy]

I want to say that I do agree that an education does not automatically qualify someone to work with children.....certainly there needs to be some intrinsic motivation and desire to work with children because you CARE. I have witnessed many providers who have no formal training who are complete naturals when it comes to working with children, however I beleive an education in child development would ENHANCE those traits in any provider.

I am not certain as to other states, as I have not had time to do the research that I would like to do, but in California they will be conducting environmental rating scales (FCCERS) as a part of the tiering system. While the provider may not be known to the people in charge of the program, as Meeko states "But didn't you know that someone who doesn't know you, or your family, or your home, or your history, or your program, or your DCP's or your DC kids....knows much better than you about how you should run YOUR business?" BUT, they get a pretty good idea when they conduct those observations and assessments. ( I know, I conduct them, and in 3-4 hours I can get a pretty good idea of what a provider is like and how they run things). So this isn't just someone coming in and telling you how to run your business. It's about helping to improve the quality of care provided by ALL providers.

We all know that there are thousands of providers out there who have been working with children foe years who have horrible programs. We all know that there are newer providers who have great programs......think about YOU when you started.....no experience, no training, but you ran a pretty good program, right? So, are we to say to the newer providers who have gone to school, who KNOW that this is what they want to do and are passionate about it, that because they do not have EXPERIENCE they are not qualified for those stars? It works both ways.....we complain that we have years of experience that no one values, yet we expect those who have spent years and thousands of dollars on a formal education to not be valued either. Makes no sense to me.

Here is the bottom line.The quality of Early Care and Education, or child care, AS A WHOLE is never going to improve if there are not some drastic changes made in the system. I KNOW that you guys are great providers without a formal education, but I also KNOW that there are alot of providers out there with the same experience that CLAIM to be offering a great program, when in reality they are sitting children in front of the TV all day, or worse yet, locking them outside or simply telling them, over and over to go play toys, rather than interact with them. HOW is this going to EVER change if something isn't done about it? How many children have to be neglected, abused or even killed before the government says enough of damaging the children?

Why do we expect the governemnet to regulate eating establishments, even though we know the food is fantastic, or the doctor's office when we have a FABULOUS physician? We expect it because we KNOW that there is the POSSIBILTY that those people aren't REALLY who they claim to be. They could have a rat and roach infested kitchen or being reusing needles if there were no standards or reguulations involved. WHY should PARENTS expect anything less from the people who care for their children????


That being said, you all have a choice. You can get on board and make the neccessary changes, including formal schooling, in an effort to reach those stars, or you can choose not to and not get the stars. It is a choice that you will have to make based on what you want for your program. It is a choice you will have to make a sound decision about if you are going to remain succesful in the field.

Also, Sitting around complaining about it isn't going to change it. If you don't like it, get out there and let your voice be heard......even if you cannot attend meetings, you CAN write letters and make phone calls. Don't remain silent if you don't like it, because it isn't going to change if that is the stance you choose to take.

One last thing.....I believe that if you have a quality program already, and you tend to run at capacity, like MEEKO, this isn't really going to affect you, as you have word of mouth and references behind you that will keep bringing the parents to your door. I really don't think my involvement in it is going to change anything for me either, but I am doing it because I want to be a part of the process and a voice for other providers. We argued the education component and they made huge changes to that for FCCP prior to beginning the pilot program.

The reality is that it IS happening. It is up to you whether you achieve what the requirements for the higher stars.

I guess I am just not one to believe everything the Govt tells me. And I don't jump right to action as soon as a govt program is implemented. I do not believe that this program will affect me in any way in regard to who I choose to have in my program. I dont disagree that SOME people could use more support, education and overall guidance in this field but I have seen far too many govt program start with gusto only to be disbanded or changed within a few short years. What will happen with parent aware when the money for it runs out? This is race to the top money, so when our state no longer gets fed funds or gov Dayton is no longer in office and this program gets cut or scaled back who will be left to implement it? I am not going to change my whole existance daycare wise just b/c some govt no minds deem this important.

If a parent comes to me and actually asks about the parent aware system (which I doubt will ever happen) I will clearly tell them I am not a big govt person and they can determine if I am the right provider for them based on my contracts, policies, referrals from families etc. Exactly what I do now.

All I am saying is just because the govt tells you to do something doesnt mean its true, valuable, or important. Dont get your undies in a bunch about this thing people, until there is actual proof that this star system is going to affect you, your clients, or your business.