News Details (Posted: August 14, 2006):

North Canton Community Christian Preschool gets One- Star Award For Exellence

Full Description:

One-Star Award Release

North Canton Community Christian Preschool Wins State Award for Excellence in Early Care and Education

For Immediate Release: 8/10/2006 Contact: Renee Rojas 330-494-5453

In recognition of its excellent child care program and its ongoing commitment to children, North Canton Community Christian 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 centers.

“North Canton Community Christian 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 North Canton Community Christian Preschool has earned our One-Star award.”

Step Up To Quality is a voluntary rating system for early care and education centers. Participating centers 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 Centers meet the following criteria:

A ratio of one teacher for every five infants (ages birth - 12 months), one teacher for every seven toddlers (ages 12-28 months), two teachers for every 11 toddlers (ages 18-36 months), one teacher for every 11 preschoolers (ages36-48 months), one teacher for every 13 preschoolers (48-60 months), one teacher for every 17 school-aged children (ages 5-11 years) and one teacher for every 19 school-aged children (ages 11-15 years).
Teachers participate in four hours of child development training per year, above licensing requirements.
To reduce staff turnover, the center 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.

“North Canton Community Christian Preschool is proud to be a One-Star center. We know that learning begins the moment babies open their eyes. Because of that, we are committed to high-quality care and education. Thank you Ohio for this recognition and thanks to our staff for their outstanding work with children,” said Joan Wintermantel.

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.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services- Bureau of Child Care and Development is currently piloting Step Up To Quality in nine counties.