Rosa Cortez is the owner of Blossom Home Daycare, a family child care program located in Rochester that joined QUALITYstarsNY six months ago. Her Quality Improvement Specialist, Rachel Zielinski, highlights how Rosa used QUALITYstarsNY’s support and resources to realize her aspirations for enhancing her learning environment.

Before & After Transformation

BEFOREAFTER

“In her brief work so far with QUALITYstarsNY, Rosa has made some wonderful enhancements to realize her vision for her learning environment. She wanted to create a space in her program for children to feel comfortable and at home in their surroundings.

“Rosa had a beautiful, hand-painted tree in the corner of her program that she wanted to use as the focal point to create an area of relaxation and comfort for the children in her care. With support from QUALITYstarsNY, she was able to add a carpet and comfortable seating with a low bookshelf for the children to engage with books and stories. Rosa also transformed the space by moving the table she previously had next to it and adding a low shelf that clearly defines the area. On the shelf, she now has baskets of social emotional manipulatives, sensory items, and Pyramid Model’s beloved Tucker Turtle puppets.

“It’s great to see the children enjoying this space and the new enhancements Rosa has added. This is just the start of the QUALITYstarsNY journey for Blossom Home Daycare and I look forward to supporting Rosa as she makes more of her program aspirations a reality.”

By Rachel Zielinski
Quality Improvement Specialist, Finger Lakes Region

“This peaceful corner is now one of my children’s favorite spaces and I appreciate QUALITYstarsNY for making it possible!”

– Rosa Cortez

Owner of Blossom Home Daycare | Rochester, NY