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Addison engages in hands-on learning in Edison Community College’s
Five Star rated Child Development Center.
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Edison’s Child
Development Center earns Five-Star Rating
Edison Community College’s Child Development Center earned a Five-Star
Step Up To Quality award from the Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services Bureau of Child Care and Development, the state agency
responsible for licensing and promoting high standards among Ohio’s
child care centers.
“Our ultimate goal was to ensure that we were able to provide our
children with a learning environment and experiences that exceeded the
standards,” said Kelli Gerlach, Director of the Child Development
Center. “We wanted to be worthy of a Five-Star rating, and as it turns
out, our hard work paid off.”
Step Up To Quality is a voluntary rating system for early care and
education programs. Participating programs can earn up to a five-star
rating by meeting an extensive list of quality benchmarks. Experts say
these benchmarks improve the growth and development potential of
children. The rating system also provides parents with a useful tool
for selecting quality early childhood programs.
Beginning this year, the rating system transitioned from a three-star
rating system to a five-star rating system. “Once we learned that Step
Up To Quality would be transitioning from a three-star rating system to
a Five-Star rating system, we began gathering documentation, conducting
self-assessments, identifying areas in need of refinement, and
implementing changes,” added Gerlach.
As a Five-Star Step Up To Quality program, Edison’s Child Development
Center provides increased quality by way of lower staff/child ratios
for individual development; administrators and teachers have higher
education qualifications; teachers develop lesson plans which foster
growth; assessments are used to improve the learning experience; and
the program values its families and community.
“Of the child development programs located within Miami County, the
Edison Child Development Center is the only program that currently
holds a Five-Star Step Up To Quality rating,” said Gerlach. “I am proud
of my staff for helping to make this happen and applaud their
commitment to the education of young children.”
In addition to its Five-Star rating, Edison’s Child Development Center
was granted five-year approval in 2014 from the National Association
for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), receiving commendations of
100% or more in nine out of ten program standards.
For more information about Edison’s Child Development Center, visit
www.edisonohio.edu.
Now in its fifth decade of service, Edison Community College is
committed to providing higher education and advanced training
opportunities for the people of the greater Miami Valley. Edison is
accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools and is recognized with the highest
order attainable by the Ohio Board of Regents. With campuses in Piqua
and Greenville, Edison provides a Personal Experience and Rewarding
Education. Visit us online at www.edisonohio.edu.
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