MI Providers And Star Rating

[morgan24]

24 hours of training!? I can barely do the 10 plus the CPR every year!

I don't think parents really look at the ratings right now either. I'm sure there are a few, but I have only gotten one call from someone who even found me on Great Start.

And I agree, the home visits are what is putting me off from going for a 4!

I've heard from all over that people are having a hard time with enrollment. I have gotten a million calls for infants, but had an ad for around 3 months for 30 months and up and only had one interview and about 1 call!

I'm the same, I hope I can retire before they add more training hours. Lately most of my calls are for infants and I already have 3. One is full time and the other 2 share a week. I recently moved to a smaller house and I've only had 4 and it's been nice. I ask a couple of my parents if they ever heard of the star ratins and the only one who has ever heard of the star ratings works in a center. It's not something I'm willing to spend my free time on if it's not going to benefit me by increasing my enrollment. I know I'm very selfish with my free time.

[Annalee]

I'm the same, I hope I can retire before they add more training hours. Lately most of my calls are for infants and I already have 3. One is full time and the other 2 share a week. I recently moved to a smaller house and I've only had 4 and it's been nice. I ask a couple of my parents if they ever heard of the star ratins and the only one who has ever heard of the star ratings works in a center. It's not something I'm willing to spend my free time on if it's not going to benefit me by increasing my enrollment. I know I'm very selfish with my free time.

I agree with you, but I think it is coming for everyone at some time. When it first come, I was one of the positive ones telling others that WE CAN DO THIS! Those fires died quickly as good providers went underground or quit. Although scoring well, my program has had issues in the annual report that I KNOW are not true. Assessors allow their perception of the book (which I have been trained on, went on mock assessments with anchors, etc) to be very inconsistent. I trust the anchors, they know the book, but assessors are too authoritative. Yes, I have expressed this with many other providers to legislators, and other powers that be, but to no avail.

[rebekki78]

I am in Michigan as well and have not done the star rating. I looked into it, but it seems it would require, like one other said, a lot of my free time. I don't think the benefit would outweigh the time spent on the accomplishment. I understand the state wants to "better" the environment that the children are in, perhaps maybe they should give a psychological evaluation before handing over a license (Wait, don't give them any ideas.) With infants around it's not like I can run a pre school. We do a lot of learning based curriculum but it is isn't on a perfect set schedule. We do a lot of crafts since I am a naturally crafty person. I agree that I don't think that parents would even mind either way, if I had ratings or if I didn't.

[melilley]

I am in Michigan as well and have not done the star rating. I looked into it, but it seems it would require, like one other said, a lot of my free time. I don't think the benefit would outweigh the time spent on the accomplishment. I understand the state wants to "better" the environment that the children are in, perhaps maybe they should give a psychological evaluation before handing over a license (Wait, don't give them any ideas.) With infants around it's not like I can run a pre school. We do a lot of learning based curriculum but it is isn't on a perfect set schedule. We do a lot of crafts since I am a naturally crafty person. I agree that I don't think that parents would even mind either way, if I had ratings or if I didn't.

It does take a little of your free time, but honestly I just had to upload things that I already had. Well, I did have to write 2 different plans, but it was really easy.

You can very easily get 1 star just by checking off the Environment indicator-which licensing makes you do anyways, so that's done. If you are in the Food Program, you can check off another.

Some of it is preschool based, BUT there are ways around that! You can do a Thematic Curriculum and that counts. I just found this out. There are so many things on the assessment that seem really difficult, but really aren't, there are some ways around things, but of course unless you talk to someone, they don't tell you that. And if you want a 4 and above, someone has to come out to observe your program, which I don't think I'm willing to do.

They did say that it will be mandatory to participate, in the future. But I do agree that parents don't really know about it so it's not really worth doing it right now!

[MyKzooFamily]

I am newly licensed in MI and have not heard of this yet.

Here is a question - I am about to drop out of my online classes because they were just taking up time for a career I had no interest in (business finance). I am interested in doing child care full time, long term, as I homeschool my kiddos.

Do college courses count as training for the year? And I'm assuming that once I got to 60 credits it would go towards that 5 star rating? (after doing the home visits, ICK).

[melilley]

I am newly licensed in MI and have not heard of this yet.

Here is a question - I am about to drop out of my online classes because they were just taking up time for a career I had no interest in (business finance). I am interested in doing child care full time, long term, as I homeschool my kiddos.

Do college courses count as training for the year? And I'm assuming that once I got to 60 credits it would go towards that 5 star rating? (after doing the home visits, ICK).

Go to http://greatstartconnect.org/ If you are licensed you can sign in and start your SAS, it will tell you what you need to have for the STAR requirements. You don't have to submit for a rating all at once.

See if you can find some info there.

I have my AS in child development and I don't think I could ever get a 5! There are so many things they want you to do to achieve that rating and it's just not obtainable for me. A 4 you could definitely get! But for a 5 you basically have to have a bachelors, take 20 hours of training a year, there is a ton of stuff!

I think you can use a lot of the college courses for training hours, I would make sure though. I take a lot through the OYC. They should send you info on courses. You can also see and sign up for classes on that website that I gave you above. You can type in your county and it will show classes. I know the Kent area OYC or 4 c (I forget what it's called) has a lot of classes you can take.

[melilley]

Oh and the Office of Great Start will more than likely be calling you in the near future, just a heads up!

[wabbittrouble]

I am in Michigan - at first I thought "Oh, this seems fine" and I filled out the assessment. They didn't like the pre-school program I had (Mother Goosetime) so they disqualified that. There were a lot of things they wanted me to do - home visits, extra training, "plans" they wanted written out, etc. that I thought were a giant waste of my time because if I didn't have a CDA degree I wasn't able to get many starts anyway. I felt that they were trying to funnel all the kids into centers and skewed the results to make home daycare look bad so I decided I was not going to participate. If parents wanted their children to go to a center then they wouldn't have them in my home daycare. They have them in a home daycare for a reason - and it's not because we have all sorts of "written plans" and stuff that look great on paper but that don't really mean a whole lot in real life. I've had my licensed daycare for 20 years and I'll stop before I am required to jump through a bunch of hoops that mean nothing.

[Maria2013]

How many of the MI providers are doing the star ratings? I got a call from Great Start and they want me to up my star rating to improve my referrals. I have never in 18 years of doing care gotten a call from someone through Great Start. I live in a small town where I have been all my life and all my daycare clients are word of mouth or they already know me. I don't think it would be time well spent for me.

I was thinking about doing the stars, not just to get "the stars" but to get an idea on how good of a setting and program I really offer
..so I went on the site and started filling in forms but I soon realized that the questions and options on those forms, seemed more for centers than in home daycare and I would have had to leave too many blanks (unanswered questions) even though my program does offer i.e. a full curriculum...I also heard they tell you what to and how to teach and you have to write everything down sorry, do not need to "document" kids as if they were lab rats

nothing against those providers that do follow the program but, personally I'm frustrated over how they seem to be pushing this program as if no one could actually offer great childcare unless they follow this star program

[Maria2013]

If parents wanted their children to go to a center then they wouldn't have them in my home daycare. They have them in a home daycare for a reason - and it's not because we have all sorts of "written plans" and stuff that look great on paper but that don't really mean a whole lot in real life.

Amen

[Annalee]

If parents wanted their children to go to a center then they wouldn't have them in my home daycare. They have them in a home daycare for a reason - and it's not because we have all sorts of "written plans" and stuff that look great on paper but that don't really mean a whole lot in real life. I've had my licensed daycare for 20 years and I'll stop before I am required to jump through a bunch of hoops that mean nothing.

That's what I and lots of providers said and actually did in 2002 when all this "hoopla" started in my state through lawmakers (I had been in business since 1992), but here I still am. I had to re-evaluate why I was doing child care and did I REALLY want to give it up? Afterall, my degree would put me in the school system and I would still get to be with kids BUT the core standards are there now, so it is getting more stringent by the day for teachers/assistants/kids. SO I am glad I decided to "roll with it" and 12 plus years later, despite the drastic changes, HERE I AM!!!!! Not happy with the QRIS, but I am still my own boss in a job I do love. I have just had to become more "crafty" meeting expectations and still keeping a little of what worked back then and is still beneficial for the children now.

[melilley]

I was thinking about doing the stars, not just to get "the stars" but to get an idea on how good of a setting and program I really offer
..so I went on the site and started filling in forms but I soon realized that the questions and options on those forms, seemed more for centers than in home daycare and I would have had to leave too many blanks (unanswered questions) even though my program does offer i.e. a full curriculum...I also heard they tell you what to and how to teach and you have to write everything down sorry, do not need to "document" kids as if they were lab rats

nothing against those providers that do follow the program but, personally I'm frustrated over how they seem to be pushing this program as if no one could actually offer great childcare unless they follow this star program

There is a long list of approved curriculum. But if you're not using one of them and have invested a lot of money into one, it stinks! But, you can even do a Thematic curriculum and that's basically free and it counts.

The only thing they want you to write down is your lesson plans and the documentation of the children are observations you make of the children. Like say Johnny said "ball" for the first time, you just write it down. Pretty easy.

But I do agree, the STARS program does make it seem like us fccers should be like a center and that is the #1 problem that I have with the program. I do see the point that there are some home providers who will just sit the kids in front of a tv or computer all day and don't do anything else with the kids and they want to make sure even home providers are providing a learning environment, but for early childcare, I don't think the way or how they want us to "teach" is right for everyone.

[Maria2013]

There is a long list of approved curriculum. But if you're not using one of them and have invested a lot of money into one, it stinks! But, you can even do a Thematic curriculum and that's basically free and it counts.

The only thing they want you to write down is your lesson plans and the documentation of the children are observations you make of the children. Like say Johnny said "ball" for the first time, you just write it down. Pretty easy.

But I do agree, the STARS program does make it seem like us fccers should be like a center and that is the #1 problem that I have with the program. I do see the point that there are some home providers who will just sit the kids in front of a tv or computer all day and don't do anything else with the kids and they want to make sure even home providers are providing a learning environment, but for early childcare, I don't think the way or how they want us to "teach" is right for everyone.

my curriculum is made up of a bunch of different curriculum, (I like to pick and choose) it doesn't say anywhere on the rules and regulations book they gave me, that I'm expected to follow any sort of curriculum, so long as I engage the children in educational age appropriate activities, and I do!... and so do most of the providers on here, so why forcing their control over how we do things in our own home when they could easily contact the parents we work for and ask them what their kids are learning, or stop by and talk to the kids?


..and it might not be a big deal to some, but IMHO "documenting" the children has no place in a home daycare.

[melilley]

my curriculum is made up of a bunch of different curriculum, (I like to pick and choose) it doesn't say anywhere on the rules and regulations book they gave me, that I'm expected to follow any sort of curriculum, so long as I engage the children in educational age appropriate activities, and I do!... and so do most of the providers on here, so why forcing their control over how we do things in our own home when they could easily contact the parents we work for and ask them what their kids are learning, or stop by and talk to the kids?


..and it might not be a big deal to some, but IMHO "documenting" the children has no place in a home daycare.

I didn't mean to offend, I was just saying that some of the QRIS requirements seem like they are hard to check off, but there are ways around them and stuff you already do, but the way it's set up it looks like something you aren't doing. For instance, I said you can do a thematic curriculum. That's where you can pick a theme and "teach" off of that, which many of us providers already do-they don't tell you that. It's not a book and you don't have to buy it, it's from what you choose to do. I took a class through the OYC and learned it from there.

And the documenting part, I do it sometimes anyways because I have a really bad memory.. and sometimes the kids do or say something and I want to tell the parents so I write it down and it counts towards a point for documenting.

I am not for or against the program, but in reality in the future, it's going to be a requirement here to be licensed and I personally wanted to get a start, plus I already did most of the stuff-(the unrelated center type stuff-which I don't agree with). I don't care if providers choose to participate or not, it doesn't make anyone more or less of a provider.

[Maria2013]

you didn't offend me one bit

and I wouldn't be as upset with this program as I am, if they weren't trying to take away the provider's right to choose whether to be a part of it or not....we pay taxes as if we were self employed, but are we really?

I really did not like what I read about this program, perhaps they should be more clear

I apologies if I came across harsh, sure wasn't directed at you :hug: