In Southwest Ohio on May 1, there were:
- 743 Family Child Care providers who serve more than 8,000 children
- Of those 743, a mere 74 were Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) quality rated, with most taking a year or more to achieve a quality star.
On Friday, June 15, the number of rated programs took a huge leap forward when 25 family child care providers pushed the button that very day to get a star rating visit from the state.
And they did it through 4C for Children’s Step Up Express, an innovative, eight-hour work session for providers in the region who need additional support to complete the rating application process.
This upward trend has to continue to meet Ohio’s mandate that all child care providers that accept state funding to provide child care to low-income families be SUTQ rated by June 30, 2020 or lose state funding.
The reality is that unless the number of SUTQ-rated child care programs is dramatically increased in the next 18 months, communities will be facing a child care shortage for families living in poverty.
Empowering providers like Annerca and Mildred (video below) to move up the SUTQ ladder with innovative programs like Step Up Express is key to making sure that a child care crisis is averted and that the children in our community receive the highest quality child care possible to get the best start in life.