Latest News
May 12, 2023 is Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. Watch this video of messages from the QUALITYstarsNY team to thank New York's early childhood providers for all you do for children and families!
More than 1,000 early childhood programs across New York State are now participating in QUALITYstarsNY! This is a historic participation milestone for QUALITYstarsNY as New York State’s early childhood Quality Rating & Improvement System.
Hughes Home Day Care is a family child care program in Cheektowaga, NY that joined QUALITYstarsNY's Start with Stars initiative in October, 2022 after being awarded an OCFS Child Care Deserts RFA 1 Grant for new programs.* It is always rewarding to hear from our QUALITYstarsNY participants how their commitment to improving and sustaining [...]
How to get starting with the application process for QUALITYstarsNY & Start with Stars
On February 1, Governor Hochul released her Executive Budget for FY 2024. The proposed budget maintains the $5 million annual funding for QUALITYstarsNY; however, a sustained, increased investment in QUALITYstarsNY is needed to safeguard program quality as policies are implemented to expand access and affordability for families.
On January 26, the Institute’s Executive Director Dona Anderson testified on behalf of QUALITYstarsNY at a public hearing of the New York State Senate Committee on Children and Families focused on New York’s child care crisis. The testimony highlighted the impact of QUALITYstarsNY, its proven model of continuous quality improvement, and its role in safeguarding the quality of New York’s early childhood System.
Sara Hunter, Education Disabilities Coordinator at ABCD at Newfane discusses how their center was able to create a comfy breastfeeding area for mothers thanks to the materials and support they accessed through their QUALITYstarsNY participation
QUALITYstarsNY has launched a new collaboration with the Early Childhood Career Development Center to offer the QUALITYstarsNY Scholarship. This scholarship can support staff pursuing an early childhood education degree who work at an early childhood program participating in QUALITYstarsNY.
Governor Hochul has announced that nearly $70 million in grant funding has been awarded to newly licensed or permitted early childhood programs in New York’s child care deserts. The funds, made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, are administered under the Office of Children and Family Services.
Susan Zucker founded Virginia Marx Children’s Center on the campus of SUNY Westchester Community College in 1986. The center has been participating in QUALITYstarsNY since it started–joining for the Field Test in 2010. Susan is retiring this month after serving as the center’s director for more than 35 years. Read our Q&A with Susan [...]