 As children, we rejoiced at being rewarded with a colorful metallic star for an assignment well done, but today’s children are not the only ones looking for a shiny reward. Area childcare facilities strive to earn their own accolades through the Keystone STARS (Standards, Training and Professional Development, Assistance, Resources, and Support) program.
Started as a pilot program in 2002, Keystone STARS was designed to reverse a 10-year downward trend in the quality of childcare services that existed in the 1990s. Since it kicked off statewide in 2003, studies have shown that Keystone STARS has been effective in preparing children for school in areas of language and literacy, mathematical thinking, personal and social development, and scientific thinking.
Keystone STARS is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to improve, support, and recognize continuous quality improvement efforts of early learning programs in our state.
Under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, childcare centers voluntarily choose to participate in the Keystone STARS program, which is designed to help them offer educational programs for early– and school-aged children, while offering grants and awards to be used to educate their staff and purchase equipment.
According to the PA OCDEL, in 2010 there were 4,496 childcare facilities, which equates to 51% of all facilities participating in the program. The same report noted that a total of 171,478 children, statewide, attend a Keystone STARS program center.
Little Meadows Child Care Center, in Dallas, is one of the many area childcare facilities that participates. Executive Director Mary Lou Donahue noted that Little Meadows has been involved in the Keystone STARS program since 2003, and that it has reached a four-star rank. But, she believes her Center was meeting the requirements from being accredited with the Hildebrandt Learning Center.
“Keystone STARS is a basic guideline for centers to meet,” she said.
There is no fee for centers to participate in the Keystone STARS program. Raine Neal, director of the Northeast Regional Key office in Allentown, explained that childcare facilities can join without paying a fee, but to meet higher standards does incur a charge. Meeting the requirements for the next level requires costs associated with the education of staff members and purchasing learning materials.
Centers are reviewed annually and ranked from one to four on the key areas of staff education, learning environment, leadership and management, and family and community partnership. Based on their progress and levels attained, childcare facilities can earn grants to allow their staff members to return to school for further education on early child development and awards for purchasing materials or equipment.
With 28-30 years of experience in the childcare field, Donahue noted that, traditionally, childcare has always been a low-paying field. But, the Keystone STARS program’s obtainable grants give staff members the opportunity to return to school to earn certificates or their early education degree.
While wading through the wide selection of available childcare out there, the Keystone STARS program provides parents with an additional tool to match their child to a suitable facility.
“More and more families know about the Keystone STARS now,” Donahue explained. “Parents are making a conscious decision, including relocating to the Dallas area because of the program.”
Neal noted a reversal in the trends developed in the ‘90s due, in part, to Keystone STARS setting standards for centers to reach, such as the development of age-appropriate learning curriculum and the limitation of television and video watching. Other requirements include the development of partnerships with families and communities through an open flow of communication with teacher, assistant, and substitute credentials, and ample opportunities for parent involvement.
“You know the old saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” Donahue said, jokingly.
She also reported that most of the reports and feedback from the districts are very positive.
“A lot of these children, going in, are above average. It is definitely making a big difference,” she said. “They are going to school, ready to learn. They already have a foundation.”
To search for a Keystone STARS participating childcare facility near you, visit www.pakeys.org/pages/stars_centers.aspx.
“We are seeing now, from birth through three years of age, the importance of early brain development,” Donahue said. “We have prisons full, detention centers full, because a lot of times those crucial first three years were missed.”
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