Ensuring Children and Youth Succeed Impact Council
Quality Expectations for All UW-funded Early Childhood Care and Education Programs
Background The Ensuring Children and Youth Succeed Impact Council is committed to promoting the quality of early childhood care and education programs. High quality programs foster children’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development, support children’s readiness to succeed in school, and help build a foundation for future academic success and social competence. Although there is no single definition of quality early childhood care and education and no one approach for assessing quality programs, the Impact Council has identified two systems which are indicators of program quality: the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation process and the Ohio Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) star rating system.
Quality Expectation To support its commitment to promote high quality programs in central Ohio, the Ensuring Children and Youth Succeed Impact Council will require all currently funded early childhood care and education programs to be accredited by NAEYC or to attain a Two Star or above rating in the Step Up to Quality rating system by October 1, 2008. Agencies that wish to apply for funding for early childhood care and education programs in United Way’s program investment process must have current NAEYC accreditation or attain a Two Star or above SUTQ rating by the deadline for submitting full proposals on May 1, 2009. Agencies will be expected to maintain their accreditation or quality rating during United Way’s three-year funding cycle. Agencies are responsible for notifying United Way staff immediately in the event of loss of accreditation or loss of one or more stars in the SUTQ system.
If there are special circumstances that affect accreditation or quality ratings, such as moving, construction, or changes in administration or program staff, this information must be shared with the Impact Council for a case by case review and decision. Programs that choose not to seek or renew the required accreditation or SUTQ rating and those that fail to achieve or maintain these quality designations in a reasonable time period will be reviewed by the Impact Council and funding may be terminated.
Support for Accreditation and Quality Ratings The Impact Council recognizes that many programs will require technical assistance and financial support to successfully complete NAEYC accreditation or the SUTQ rating process. Resources to help agencies enhance program quality are available through Start Smart and other community services.
Approved by the Ensuring Children and Youth Succeed Impact Council, Sept., 2008