MI Providers And Star Rating

[Lucy]

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'm not in MI, but I so agree with you here. I see ZERO benefit for me to earn their stupid stars. It's why I picked my avatar. I'm destined to be a 1 star provider. (It's funny that you have the same avatar!)

I have never gotten ONE referral through them. Sometimes, when they call for updates, I let it go to voicemail and never return their call. I really don't need my R&R, and wouldn't even be licensed if it were legal in my area to be unlicensed.

I hate how they're sticking their noses more and more into OUR business. Government intervention at its worst. Sadly, that's the way our country is going.

[Annalee]

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.

I agree, there are ways around some areas of FCCERS-revised which is what my state uses...Curriculum here can be a thematic calendar providers come up with on their own. The FCCERS-R tool is overwhelming at first and almost makes providers feel like they are setting themselves up to FAIL. BUT there are areas that are not attainable and are VERY unrealistic, just to put it nicely. Certain items MUST be viewed during the assessment, which causes providers to run around all day making sure we do what assessors need to see....very stressful. I have completed the assessment annually for over 10 years now per the state mandate but it NEVER gets easy and I NEVER know how I did when the assessor leaves....

[melilley]

I agree, there are ways around some areas of FCCERS-revised which is what my state uses...Curriculum here can be a thematic calendar providers come up with on their own. The FCCERS-R tool is overwhelming at first and almost makes providers feel like they are setting themselves up to FAIL. BUT there are areas that are not attainable and are VERY unrealistic, just to put it nicely. Certain items MUST be viewed during the assessment, which causes providers to run around all day making sure we do what assessors need to see....very stressful. I have completed the assessment annually for over 10 years now per the state mandate but it NEVER gets easy and I NEVER know how I did when the assessor leaves....

That sounds so nerve racking! I am only a 3 and to get a 4, assessors have to come out so I'm on the fence as to whether or not I want to proceed (more on the no side). It started as a personal goal to get the highest rating, but as I went through it, some of the goals are unattainable so I'm happy where I am at.

I had no idea that there were such variations on what the different states are doing for the program! Here it seems pretty easy (to get a 3 at least), but where you live, it sounds like a nightmare!

[Annalee]

That sounds so nerve racking! I am only a 3 and to get a 4, assessors have to come out so I'm on the fence as to whether or not I want to proceed (more on the no side). It started as a personal goal to get the highest rating, but as I went through it, some of the goals are unattainable so I'm happy where I am at.

I had no idea that there were such variations on what the different states are doing for the program! Here it seems pretty easy (to get a 3 at least), but where you live, it sounds like a nightmare!

We only go up to 3 stars...but it is mandated to be assessed....I wish our system was voluntary so I could choose not to be assessed.

[rebekki78]

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!

Thanks for a clearer picture Maybe in time I can look into it more. I started looking into it and it was a lot of language that I didn't quite understand. I don't really abide by a certain curriculum. I teach the kids with the curriculum we use each Sunday in church and pass it along to the kids in my care. All other worksheets and things for mathematics, shapes, writing, reading, etc, I either print off on line or buy the books from the store and do a few pages each day.

[rebekki78]

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.

happyface

[rebekki78]

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.

This is the number one complaint I get from parents who call to see if I have openings. Parents don't want their kids to sit in front of the tv all day. I get that and as a parent I understand that. And I agree with your last statement as well. Each child and situation requires a different way of going about things. I have a set schedule written down but when it comes right down to it, because it is just me and the kids, and with age variance, I would say I don't follow my own schedule more often then I do. If I had just one age group at a time I think this would be easier to accomplish.

[melilley]

Thanks for a clearer picture Maybe in time I can look into it more. I started looking into it and it was a lot of language that I didn't quite understand. I don't really abide by a certain curriculum. I teach the kids with the curriculum we use each Sunday in church and pass it along to the kids in my care. All other worksheets and things for mathematics, shapes, writing, reading, etc, I either print off on line or buy the books from the store and do a few pages each day.

The language is very confusing! They keep changing and clarifying things because so many providers had no clue what they are talking about or how to go about getting a point for a certain area. I just found out about a few points that could have, but I had no idea. One of the indicators is to have a certified early childhood professional working with your program (I forget what they call it, but something similar) and my consultant from OYC said that since I talk to her, I could count it and get a point---I had no clue I could do that!

It's funny, since this thread started, I have changed my views on the star program. While I do have a 3, I am no longer even trying for a 4, I'm happy at that 3 rating. The consultant said I only need 8 more points..only? No thanks, I'm not even interested in doing anything that they want, to get those points. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to have the 3 stars, but not beating myself up to get more.

[Naptime yet?]

My question is, does going to your dcp's house for dinner count as a home visit?

What are you supposed to do for a home visit? And why would anyone want to go to their dck's house, except to see how it's decorated? I don't get why this would be mandated (this is also happening here in MD, I know there's another thread going about STARS, but this really kills me).

[melilley]

My question is, does going to your dcp's house for dinner count as a home visit?

What are you supposed to do for a home visit? And why would anyone want to go to their dck's house, except to see how it's decorated? I don't get why this would be mandated (this is also happening here in MD, I know there's another thread going about STARS, but this really kills me).

I'm a FCC so we don't have to do home visits and am glad for that!

I know here, our Headstart program does home visits, but they are federally and locally funded and have guidelines. I think it's out of line to ask fcc's, or even centers to do this. Isn't that what conferences are for? Sorry thinking out loud...

[Naptime yet?]

I think I misread MD's standards, for some reason I thought everyone was required to do home visits, which would be weird. Thanks for clarifying that for me! Although an evil part of me would love to show up at a dcp's house with a clipboard in hand & go through their house like licensing goes through mine...