In recognition of its excellent child care program and its ongoing commitment to children, Child of God Preschool has received a One-Star Step Up To Quality Award from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services - Bureau of Child Care and Development, the state agency responsible for licensing and promoting high standards among Ohio’s child care programs.
“Child of God Preschool provides a higher standard of care that exceeds Ohio’s licensing standards. This translates to more teachers, a greater commitment to in-service training and a more nurturing environment for children to grow and develop,” said Terrie Hare, Chief, Ohio Bureau of Child Care and Development. “This outstanding commitment to children and early learning is why Child of God Preschool has earned our One-Star award.”
Step Up To Quality is a voluntary rating system for early care and education programs. Participating programs can earn a one, two or three-star rating by meeting an extensive list of quality benchmarks. Experts say these benchmarks improve the growth and development potential of children. The rating system also gives parents a useful tool for selecting quality early childhood programs.
One-Star Step Up To Quality programs meet the following criteria:
A ratio of one teacher for every five infants (ages birth-12 months) or 2:10, one teacher for every six infants (ages 12-18 months), one teacher for every 7 toddlers (ages 18-36 months), one teacher for every eight toddlers (ages 30-36 months), one teacher for every 12 preschoolers (36-48 months), one teacher for every 14 preschoolers (48-60 months), one teacher for every 18 school-aged children (ages 5-15 years).
Teachers receive five hours of child development training per year, above licensing requirements.
To reduce staff turnover, the program provides at least one employee benefit to staff members.
Teachers are familiar with Ohio’s Early Learning Content Standards and are trained to prepare children for kindergarten.
Achieving these benchmarks is crucial for the future of Ohio’s children. This as more parents join the workforce and more children are cared for outside of the home. In Ohio, 65% of children under the age of six have both parents in the workforce. At the same time 90% of brain development occurs before the age of five.
Children enrolled in high quality early learning programs, particularly low income children, are more likely to stay in school, attend college, earn more money and be employed in high-skilled jobs than their peers.
Step Up To Quality is available statewide. Visit www.stepuptoquality.org for more information.
Child of God Preschool is proud to be recognized as a One-Star Step Up to Quality program. Child of God Preschool is committed to high-quality care and education, and is grateful to Ohio for this recognition and to the Child of God Preschool staff for their outstanding work with the children and families they serve.