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Improving Access to High-Quality
Child Care
High-quality child care is essential for the healthy development of
children during their formative years. The early years of a child's life
are crucial for cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Providing an
environment that fosters healthy development is not only beneficial
for the child but also contributes to the well-being of families
and society as a whole. However, achieving high-quality (and the
ratings to prove it) is a significant challenge with the lack of public
investment in early care and education, compared to other wealthy
countries.
Despite the odds, five Children’s Friend sites earned a five-star
rating from the Rhode Island quality rating entity, BrightStars.
BrightStars measures quality through the implementation of a
Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System that assesses
early care and education programs in the following standards:
learning environments, teacher/child ratio, maximum group size,
teacher qualifications, leadership qualifications, child assessment,
curriculum, inclusive classroom practices, continuous quality
improvement, and family engagement.
“A five-star rating for our sites shows that we have the highest
quality rating in all 10 standards,” said Kristen Caine, Manager of
Early Childhood Partnerships. “We are so proud of our staff at the
Althea, Dean, Dorcas International, King, and Friendship sites, which
all achieved five stars. A five-star rating is proof that these sites are
offering the highest quality care and education to our children and
families.”
CHILDREN'S FRIEND ANNUAL REPORT 2023
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King, which opened its doors in 2022, was one of the sites to achieve
a five-star rating for the first time this year. This facility is embedded
in a mixed-use building that includes affordable housing.
"There's enough to worry about when you're a parent," said
Dominique, whose child attends Early Head Start at King. "Knowing
my baby is getting the best care possible gives me peace of mind."
To take part in BrightStars, child care centers conduct annual self-
assessments to determine strengths and weaknesses. Then they
plan how to improve to reach a higher star level. As of January
2023, 261 (82 percent) licensed child care centers, 326 (83 percent)
licensed family child care homes, and 27 (47 percent) public schools
with preschool classrooms had a BrightStars rating. Eighty-four (26
percent) licensed early learning centers, four (1 percent) licensed
family child care homes, and 18 (32 percent) public schools had met
the benchmarks for a high-quality rating of four or five stars.
“Making child care available and accessible to families is one part
of the challenge. Making that care high-quality requires experience,
coordination, and a deep dedication to the children and families we
serve,” said Tanya Anderson, Child Development Supervisor at King.
“We were very excited when we received the news from BrightStars.
Our hard work paid off.”