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We have all heard the saying “you are what you eat”. The food that fuels the body plays a role in physical health and mental well-being. Nutrition is critical to the growth and development of young children. For many families, putting healthy food on the table is not that simple. Food insecurity, access to wholesome meals, and cost can be barriers. Child care programs can reduce these barriers for children by participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Buffalo-based First Friends Day Care Center, which opened its doors in March 2019, was created to meet the growing demand for high-quality child care in the surrounding community. As a relatively new center, First Friends has provided exceptional early childhood education and care while ensuring they stay aligned with best practices and [...]
Recruitment and Engagement Associate Gray Robinson attended the 2024 Family Child Care Association of New York State (FCCANYS) Annual Conference, along with Quality Improvement Specialists and family child care providers from across the state. Gray recorded some moments that stood out in his time in Oswego. The QUALITYstarsNY vendor [...]
QUALITYstarsNY sat down with Saida Dadi, Director of Little Eagles Nest Saida Dadi is the founder and director of Little Eagles Nest in Ardsley, NY. She and her staff have been dedicated to maintaining a high standard of quality since they began participating in Start With Stars as a newly licensed [...]
In 2022, the NYS Office of Children and Families Services (OCFS) launched the Invest in New York: Child Care Deserts Grant, which offered two grant opportunities to help providers open and expand early childhood programs in New York’s child care deserts. A child care desert is defined as an area that [...]
The application for the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship for the spring 2024 semester is open October 1 - November 10, 2024. If you work in an early childhood program participating in QUALITYstarsNY and are pursuing an early childhood education degree or credit-bearing coursework, you may be eligible to apply for the scholarship!
As New York State's Quality Rating and Improvement System for early childhood programs, QUALITYstarsNY has the unique opportunity to work with different organizations in communities across the state. In this ongoing series, we will highlight some of our local partners and the work we collaborate on to improve and sustain high-quality care [...]
Have you ever paused to consider the learning environment you're creating for young children in your program? Does it truly reflect the philosophy that inspired you when you first set out on this journey? If it does, what are the elements that bring this philosophy to life in your space? If not, it may be time to revisit that foundational philosophy and consider how and why children learn, ensuring that your environment mirrors these values.
Summer is a natural time to reflect on your program’s calendar. Do you intentionally create a program calendar for staff meetings and professional development? Do you have an internal policy or procedure for how many staff meetings are held per year or how they are executed? What are some ways you share important updates and new information with staff?
Our Recruitment and Engagement Associate, Gray Robinson, documented his first time at the NYAEYC Annual Conference. Read highlights from his experience as a member of the QUALITYstarsNY team attending the conference and all the valuable professional development and networking opportunities provided throughout the three-day event. [...]