Perhaps one of the most important things you can do when relocating to a new city is to find quality, affordable childcare. The good news is that the State of North Carolina, and the Triangle specifically, are home to many exceptional childcare facilities and programs.
Fortunately for parents, state leaders have taken some of the burden off newcomers with the 5-Star Rating Program. Now, finding quality childcare in the Triangle is much easier as part of the research is already done.
Star-Rated Licenses
The Division of Child Development of North Carolina issues a star-rated license to eligible childcare centers and family childcare homes. If a facility is licensed and meets the basic compliance standards, it will earn from one star to five stars based on two key components: education and program standards. If a licensed center decides to opt out of the rated license process, it will automatically default to one star.
Staff education, as well as administrator education, is critical to the overall quality of a childcare program. An administrator with a higher level of education and credentials may offer stronger overall management skills as well as knowledge of early childhood education, experience in the classrooms, and teacher management.
For a center to have a 5-star rating, the director must have a degree in early childhood education or a related field, five years of verifiable working experience, and have completed an administrative credentials program mandated by the state. Teachers and caregivers that are rated 5-star will also have a degree in early childhood education (or a related field) and at least two years of experience.
“North Carolina’s star-rating system for childcare programs helps parents identify high quality early care and education,” said Tracy Zimmerman, communications and development director for Wake County Smart Start. “Local Smart Start partnerships help childcare programs improve and maintain their program quality.”
Smart Start Program
The goal of North Carolina’s Smart Start program is to ensure that all children from birth to 5 years are provided with quality childcare and education and are prepared to enter Kindergarten. Research has shown that children thrive in a safe, caring, stimulating environment where their physical, social and emotional needs are met.
Smart Start works to bring together parents, teachers, and healthcare providers in order to ensure that these needs are met. Smart Start is guided by a set of core values such as respect, cultural sensitivity, advocacy, and community collaboration, among others. While Smart Start does not run any childcare centers, it works diligently to ensure that all children receive quality childcare through assistance in teacher training, grants, technical assistance and many other aspects.
Head Start
According to the National Head Start Association, Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. It provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.
Head Start programs are nationally funded and are designed to work with at risk preschool children ages 3 and 4 to ready them for kindergarten and help strengthen their social, emotional, and cognitive development. They work with parents as well as children through educational programs and family involvement.
Title 1
According to the Public Schools of North Carolina Office of Early Learning, a Title I Preschool is a program of high-quality educational experiences designed to enable young children to meet challenging state standards. Although Title I allows its preschool programs to serve children from birth up to age 5, most North Carolina Title I Preschools serve 4-year-olds only. These programs usually follow the school calendar and school day and are staffed with both a licensed teacher and highly qualified teacher assistant.
Entrance into a Title 1 preschool is based on academic need, which is determined through multiple criteria such as parent interviews and teacher observations.
Triangle facilities
Primrose School
There are several Primrose Schools throughout the area with schools in Apex/Holly Springs, Cary, Durham, Morrisville/RTP, Raleigh and Wake Forest. Each school offers Infant through Pre-K as well as School Age Programs (Before, After School, Summer Camp, and Track Out).
According to Leslie Moore, owner of Primrose School at The Park in Morrisville, her preschool is in high demand because, “we have a Five-Star License, we have degreed teachers, offer low teacher-to-child ratios and a low teacher turnover rate which is the key to consistency and a child’s sense of well being.
“Additionally, we hold a national accreditation with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (Primrose was the first preschool to hold this prestigious accreditation) and a proven curriculum in place supported by a validated assessment study that shows over 90 percent of Primrose graduates test well above the national average in academics once in elementary school. That’s pretty powerful!”
Also, Primrose School at The Park was recently was voted “Best Preschool” in Cary by the readers of Cary magazine in annual ranking of the best of the city’s vendors. It was the second-straight year that the school received a “Maggy Award” from the magazine.
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