Parents Gain Tools for
Choosing Day Care
by Stanley Thomas
Delaware Valley parents are gaining new tools to select a quality child care program. The Middle States Association Commission on Elementary Schools (MSCES) has begun accrediting early childhood programs, while Delaware continues to nurture a Stars program that officials hope will be fully functional in 2010.
The new Middle States accreditation system, like that provided by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), gives parents a day care “gold standard.” Accreditation recognizes adherence to rigorous guidelines and encourages continuous improvement. MSCES is a branch of the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, the long-time provider of college, primary and secondary school accreditation.
Delaware Stars hopes to some day reach the penetration of Pennsylvania’s burgeoning Keystone STARS program. Both systems recognize various levels of day care quality, culminating in a top, 4-star rating similar to accreditation.
Using the Tools
The basic standard available to parents choosing day care is licensing. A licensed day care center or family child care home meets health and safety standards, but licensing rarely involves evaluating a program’s quality. Pennsylvania has made it easy for parents to check whether a program is licensed.
Delaware Stars and Keystone STARS are called quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). They use a progressive set of benchmarks recognizing higher program quality. For example, centers in these programs can gain ratings of one to four stars, and attaining a higher rating often results in a cash grant.
New Jersey does not have a QRIS program and channels most early childhood funding to the state’s 31 least affluent school districts. These districts, often called “Abbott” districts because of a court case requiring extra state funding for them, provide publicly funded early education for 3- and 4-year-olds.
To achieve accreditation, an early childhood program must meet strict guidelines for a center’s facilities, health practices, curriculum and learning standards, teacher training, leadership and relationships with parents and the community. The new Middle States program emphasizes continuous improvement beyond accreditation.
Achieving accreditation means adhering to high standards. The Keystone STARS program gives NAEYC-accredited centers its top rating, four stars, if they provide additional documentation. Accreditation can be expensive — $1,000-$5,000 and then annual dues for NAEYC and somewhat less for the new Middle States program. Another organization, the National Association for Family Child Care, accredits day care in home-based centers, including a handful in the Delaware Valley.
Accreditation
Here’s how many day care centers are accredited by each organization.
Middle States Association Commission on Elementary Schools (MSCES). About 1,200 preschools in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are either accredited or in candidacy. Most are affiliated with an elementary school already accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Accreditation of stand-alone centers has just begun, with Summit Children’s Program in Philadelphia, a Chesterbrook Academy program in Chalfont, PA and four other programs either newly accredited or in candidacy for accreditation. 610-617-1100, www.ces-msa.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Accredited centers, by state:
Delaware 22
South Jersey 19
Pennsylvania, by county:
Bucks 17
Chester 10
Delaware 11
Montgomery 28
Philadelphia 33
Home-based 29
www.naeyc.org/accreditation
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
Accredited centers, by state:
Delaware 0
South Jersey 1
Pennsylvania 28
http://nafcc.org (click: search)
Stars Programs
The Delaware Stars program now includes 56 centers and added 19 home-based programs last month. The program is still being rolled out, with a goal of adding 60 programs each year for the next five years. Delaware Stars is a public-private partnership funded by state and the United Way’s Success by Six program. To see if a day care is participating: go online to www.familyandworkplace.org/DEStars/DEStarsmain.asp or call 302-479-1679.
Keystone STARS: In the Philadelphia and surrounding counties, about 1,800 or 51 percent of licensed day cares now participate in the Keystone STARS program. Statewide, more than 5,000 programs now participate, an increase of about one-third from last year. About one-quarter of STARS programs moved up at least one level during 2007-2008. For information and to find a participating facility, visit www.seregionalkey.org/parents.htm
State Licensing and Referrals`
Delaware
To search whether a center or home is licensed (organized by zip code): http://kids.delaware.gov/pdfs/occl_zip_sept_2008.pdf
Kent & Sussex Counties, 302-739-5487
New Castle County, 302-892-5800
New Jersey
Agency: New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Office of
Licensing, 877-667-9845, www.state.nj.us/dcf/support/childcare
To search whether a center or home is licensed (organized by county, then city): www.state.nj.us/dcf/divisions/licensing/CCClist.pdf
For local resources and information: Child Care Helpline, 800-332-9227.
Pennsylvania
Agency: Pennsylvania Department of Public
Welfare, Southeast Region Child Development Office, 800-346-2929
www.dpw.state.pa.us/ServicesPrograms/ChildCareEarlyEd
To search whether a center or home is licensed:
www.humanservices.state.pa.us/compass/ProviderSearch/PGM/PSWEL.aspx
Local offices: Child Care Information Services (CCIS) provides personalized child care referrals to providers based on your specific needs or preferences.
Bucks County, 70 West Oakland Ave., Ste. 102, Doylestown, 215-348-1283
Chester County, 601 Westtown Rd., Ste. 310, West Chester, 610-344-5717
Delaware County, 20 S. 69th St., Upper Darby, 610-713-2250
Montgomery County, 1430 Dekalb St., Norristown, 610-278-3707
Phila., Center City & South, 1500 S. Columbus Blvd., 2nd Fl., 215-271-0433
Phila., North, 642 N. Broad St., Ste. 601, 215-763-0100
Phila., Northeast, 1926 Grant Ave., 215-33-1560
Phila., Northwest, 6350 Greene St., Ground Fl., 215-842-4830
Phila., West & Southwest, 5548 Chestnut St., 2nd Fl., 215-382-4762
Stanley Thomas is a local freelance writer.