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Preparing children for school, life Star Ratings help families choose quality child care programs using best kindergarten readiness practices for children

Grand Rapids Herald-Review - 11/24/2017

Will my child be ready for kindergarten? Will the family child care, child care center, preschool or head start program that I have chosen use kindergarten readiness practices, lesson plans, curriculum, assessment and social and emotional resources to get my child ready for their first day of school? And life?

Throw in there that up to 90 percent of the brain develops by age five, making the early years a critical time in your child's life.

So does your choice of child care matter? Absolutely.

Eighteen of 65 licensed family child care providers in Itasca County are Parent Aware Rated. All but one child care center is also rated. These programs have taken the extra step to work with a Parent Aware Quality Coach that assists with strengthening, expanding or maybe even establishing a curriculum and finding the resources one would need to have the best kindergarten readiness program available.

Erinn Shaw, Parent Aware Quality Coach, has been working with child care providers for approximately six years.

"I discovered how much I loved meeting new providers and helping them achieve their goals in Early Childhood Education," said Shaw, whose previous background was in Child Care Assistance in Isanti County.

Parent Aware, according to their website online, is Minnesota's Quality Rating and Improvement System, that offers tools and resources to help families find quality child care and early education programs to improve their practices and children benefit from care and education that will prepare them for school and life.

It goes on to say that every child has unique gifts and abilities; that all families deserve equitable access to quality care and education for their children - quality early learning from trained and culturally competent professionals; and that children learn through relationships and playful interactions with their families, peers, providers and environment.

Shaw explained, "Building positive relationships with providers and getting great resources into the hands of the people who are shaping little people's lives makes the work most rewarding. I also really enjoy getting to interact with so many children throughout the day, from infants to school-aged. I really enjoy building relationships with the child care providers and the children!"

The coaching is free to child care providers and is flexible to meet the needs of the programs.

"Some providers want to meet every couple of weeks, while others may choose to meet monthly," Shaw said.

Shaw added, "It [Parent Aware] definitely gives families a foundation to explore the right place for their child. The practices measured by Parent Aware are based on national research that have been valid indicators of school readiness."

There are a total four star ratings, with each building on the next.

"A one star program has demonstrated they use some of the kindergarten-readiness best practices, a two star program uses a few more, a three star program uses many of the kindergarten-readiness best practices and a four star program shows evidence of excelling at using the practices that have been found to get kids ready for school and life," Shaw said.

Christa Mostoller, a licensed provider for 22 years, explained she first rated as a four star program in the spring of 2013 and is currently in the process of re-rating for a third time.

"As a provider, I understand the importance of quality care and wanted a way of conveying to parents what quality care means for them and for their child. I also recognize that child care is a competitive field and one of the ways to set myself apart from others is to become rated via Parent Aware," Mostoller said.

She explained that families appreciate that the quality rating scale allows them to choose a provider and/or program that best meets their needs, whether it is an academic based program focusing on school readiness or one that is rooted in basic care needs.

"Child care programs are very unique, with each offering something different so it's often difficult for parents to choose," Mostoller said.

There are also a number of resources and/or scholarships that are available to help cover the costs of child care available to eligible families.

"Many of the families enrolled in my program are recipients of Early Learning scholarships," Mostoller said. "These scholarships have helped many families cover the costs of attending a Parent Aware rated program. I usually explain to parents that Parent Aware is a program designed to help families identify programs that use developmentally appropriate practices to prepare their child for kindergarten."

Rated programs also have access to grants during the rating process to purchase a variety of things such as indoor or outdoor play equipment . They also have access to resources such as free mental health counselors that help with developing social and emotional growth in children or finding resources in the county that can help with a child's development.

As for programs on the fence on whether or not to join, making a well-informed business decision means asking themselves tough questions explained Shaw.

"We have staff that are available to have open discussions with you about whatever might be holding you back. While we realize becoming a rated program isn't for everyone, most providers stand at the other side of the process saying it was worth the effort," said Shaw. "We have seen providers who have been in business for more than 40 years go through the rating process and feel they have experienced personal and professional growth that had a positive impact on the children and families they serve and we have had brand new providers go through the process and share that it helped shape their program right from the start."

Always remember, the "quality" starts with you and your child, stressed Shaw.

Providers that are Parent Aware Rated in Itasca County can be found online at www.parentaware.org or by calling 1-888-291-9811. There are more than 2,600 child care and early education programs in Minnesota that have a Parent Aware Rating.