When it comes to finding quality early childhood care and education, parents in New York are on their own.
A statewide coalition of parents, lawyers, law enforcement and childcare professionals are trying to change that with QUALITYstarsNY. The voluntary five-star rating and improvement system would be run by New York State, if approved by legislators.
To shore up support among elected officials and the public, Great Neck’s own QUALITYstarsNY campaign kicked off May 13 at the Great Neck Community School.
“Half of the states in the united states already have something like this in place, and the other 25 states are in the process of putting it in place,” said Long Island Region QUALITYstarsNY Coordinator Linda Devin-Sheehan.
A short educational video about QUALITYstarsNY was followed by a discussion and tour of the school.
In attendance were Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Kitty Poons, and representatives for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and state Assemblywoman Michele Schimel (D-Great Neck).
Devin-Sheehan said legislation will be introduced in New York next year.
“We need everyone to get on the bandwagon to pass legislation with funding,” said Arlene Labenson, director of parent services for the Child Care Council of Nassau County. “We obviously know what the financial situation is.”
Programs would be rated based on documentation submitted by their staff and observation during on-site visits.
“Consumers are used to star ratings, and programs would be rated by highly trained early child educators, not other consumers,” said Barbara Breslow, executive director of the Great Neck Community School. “Other states have similar rating systems in place and QUALITYstarsNY is modeled on those successful systems. Designed to give parents access to uniform information, it also ensures programs get the tools and support they need to create stronger learning environments.”
Education from birth to five years is critically important, said Holli Ann LaRocca, parent of a former student at the Great Neck Community School.
“QUALITYstarsNY will help New York’s parents pick the best early learning program for their child, and ensure that those programs have the information and resources they need to offer quality learning and opportunities for our kids,” she said.
