Step Up to Quality

Step Up To Quality

Step Up To Quality is Ohio's voluntary quality rating system for ODJFS licensed child care programs. Step Up To Quality recognizes early care and education programs that exceed quality benchmarks over and above Ohio's licensing standards.

Congratulations!!

Your child is enrolled or you may be considering enrolling your child in an early care and education

program whose level of quality exceeds Ohio’s child care licensing standards.

High quality early care and education settings are important because early experiences last a lifetime.Your child has 1,892 days from the day they are born until they enter kindergarten. What happens on this journey lays the foundation for school and life success.

A Step Up To Quality Two Star rated program means that your child is in a program with:

Lower group size in the infant room for birth to 12 month olds; lower ratios in the preschool and schoolage classrooms.

This means the teachers have more time to support your baby's individual development and learning.This is important because 85% of brain development occurs by the time your child is three years old and the number of words your child knows when they enter kindergarten is the single most important predictor of school success.

The administrator and at least 50% of teachers have a credential and/or a degree in early childhood education.

This means that the administrator and teachers have formal knowledge to support your child's

development and learning. This is important because just like a doctor needs formal education, so do those working with young children. Working with young children is science - brain science.

The administrator, all lead teachers and assistant teachers complete 10 hours of specialized training annually.

This means that the administrator and teaching staff are committed to expanding their knowledge and skills to better support your child's development and learning. This ensures that early care and

education professionals keep up to date with the ever changing knowledge base of their profession.

Provides annual performance evaluations, professional development planning and at least two benefits (such as insurance, paid leave, tuition reimbursement etc.) to employees.

This means that the program is a place where employees are supported and treated professionally.

This is important because good programs retain good teachers.

Teachers conduct a developmental screening upon entry and utilize Ohio's Infant Toddler Guidelines, Ohio's Early Learning Content Standards and K-12 Standards in their curriculum planning.

This means that your child's program uses research based information when planning your child's

day. This is important because it means teachers are intentional in planning their teaching strategies in order to support your child's development and learning.

Step Up To Quality programs are only eligible for a Star Rating if they have not had any serious risk

licensing non-compliances at their last licensing visit. If this program were to have a serious risk noncompliance their rating would be either suspended or removed based on the non-compliance.