11 Montgomery County child care programs ‘reach for the stars’
4C for Children and ReadySetSoar help programs apply for and achieve state quality ratings

DAYTON (Dec. 22, 2009)—Eleven child care programs in Montgomery County have gone beyond state licensing requirements to earn a quality rating through Ohio’s Step Up To Quality program thanks to a special initiative by 4C for Children and ReadySetSoar, Montgomery County's early childhood initiative. Twelve programs were chosen as focus sites out of 34 that applied to the project in January 2008 to receive technical assistance from 4C staff and special financial incentives, both made possible by a grant from ReadySetSoar. (One selected program closed leaving 11 participating sites.)
         
“The results from this effort are very significant,” says Sallie Westheimer, 4C executive director. “One hundred percent of the centers in the project achieved quality ratings as compared to only 23 percent of the centers who applied for the project, met similar criteria but were unable to be accepted because of the grant's limited resources."

The 11 participating centers:
A&D Day Care and Learning Center Inc. (Dayton): one star (awaiting verification visit)
All Kids: An Easter Seals Child Development Center (Dayton): one star
Childtime Learning Center (Centerville): one star
Clara’s Heart Childcare Center LLC (Trotwood): one star (awaiting verification visit)
Dayton Christian Center (Dayton): one star
KinderCare Learning Center—Old Troy Pike (Huber Heights): one star
Miami Valley Family Care Center (Dayton): three stars
Seven Dwarfs Day Care Center Inc. (Centerville): one star
The Nurturing Nest (Vandalia): one star
The Point YMCA Stillwater (Dayton): two stars
YWCA Dayton Child Care (Dayton): two stars

Step Up To Quality is a voluntary, three-star rating system created by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services—Bureau of Child Care and Development to improve the quality of early care and education programs in Ohio. Star ratings signal lower adult-child ratios, staff with training in child development, safe and healthy environments and quality curriculum and administrative practices.

The two-year grant from ReadySetSoar funded two full-time specialist positions at 4C for Children to coach focus site directors through the SUTQ process. Participating programs also received $16,000 to facilitate the purchase of classroom materials, development of curriculum, improvement of playground equipment, facility repairs and renovations as well as bonuses to staff who completed further professional development. 4C specialists met with directors of the participating programs on a regular basis to offer training and conduct or arrange for classroom or program assessments. For more about Step Up To Quality.
 
“This ReadySetSoar grant provided a great opportunity for us to work with programs to provide technical assistance—and they were all very open to our help,” says Vicki Gulley, 4C’s quality initiative coordinator. “ReadySetSoar and Step Up To Quality are helping to create a whole new paradigm,” she says, “where centers are working hard to improve their programs.”

There are 217 early education and care programs in Montgomery County with capacity for over 17,000 children. Only 34 of these programs (including the centers in the 4C/RSS initiative) were star-rated as of October 2009. Montgomery County has the second lowest percentage of star-rated programs among Ohio’s 10 largest counties, according to a September report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

4C for Children and ReadySetSoar are committed to continue working with  programs in Montgomery County to help all of them reach for the stars—and ensure quality early care and learning for the community’s children.
 
4C for Children, a pioneering leader, advocate and resource for early childhood education and care since 1972, serves 23 counties from offices in Cincinnati, Dayton (Ohio) and Newport (Kentucky). Each year this not-for-profit agency assists over 8,000 families of all income levels in finding and choosing quality child care; enrolls over 20,000 child care providers in its workshops and trainings; works to increase the supply of high-quality early education and care in the region; and advocates for children and families at the local, state and federal levels. For more information visit www.4cforchildren.org.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Amy Gorga, 4C Communications Coordinator, at 513-758-1310 or agorga@4cforchildren.org.