OCFS Child Care Deserts Grant
OCFS Child Care Deserts Grant
OCFS is offering a grant to help providers open early childhood programs in New York’s child care deserts. Please visit the OCFS website to learn more about this opportunity and how to apply.
QUALITYstarsNY is excited to share that those who are awarded a child care deserts grant are expected to participate in Start with Stars once they are awarded the grant and their new program is licensed. This will allow these new programs in child care deserts to access QUALITYstarsNY’s support and services to help them create a foundation for success right from the start.
Start with Stars Information Sessions
We’re hosting Start with Stars Information Sessions for those interested in applying for the Child Care Deserts Grant. Join us to learn more more about the requirement that grant awardees participate in the Start with Stars Initiative and the ways it will benefit your new program!
FAQs
- All
- Applying for Start with Stars
- CC Deserts Grant
- General Information
- Start with Stars Participation
- Transitioning into QUALITYstarsNY
QUALITYstarsNY is New York State’s voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System for early childhood programs. QUALITYstarsNY is designed to empower programs to enhance the quality of early childhood education for New York’s children and families. Programs participating in QUALITYstarsNY are rated on a 5-Star scale every three years and are supported with a full complement of resources to improve their quality and increase their Star Rating. The core focus of QUALITYstarsNY is to help early childhood programs in all regulated settings engage in continuous quality improvement to best serve young children and their families.
Start with Stars is a QUALITYstarsNY initiative designed, in part, to support newly licensed early childhood programs. Programs participating in Start with Stars have access to individualized support to help them create a foundation for success right from the start.
Yes, recipients of the OCFS Child Care Deserts Grant are expected to participate in Start with Stars within 30 days of receiving their license for the new program.
The duration of participation in Start with Stars is short-term (6 months) while QUALITYstarsNY participation is ongoing. In Start with Stars, programs meet more frequently with their Quality Improvement Specialist. Start with Stars programs are not rated until they transition into QUALITYstarsNY, after which they have access to the full range of QUALITYstarsNY resources.
No, grant awardees are expected to participate in Start with Stars before joining QUALITYstarsNY. After six months of building capacity to engage in continuous quality improvement, programs will transition into QUALITYstarsNY to continue their quality improvement journey.
As a Start with Stars participant, you are expected to meet every 2-4 weeks with your QI Specialist on-site at your program and regularly communicate with them via email and/or phone between meetings. Partner with your QI Specialist to complete foundational tasks that will build your program’s capacity to engage in continuous quality improvement.
Your program will participate in Start with Stars for six months, after which you’ll transition into QUALITYstarsNY.
Yes, programs must participate in QUALITYstarsNY for the duration of their grant term after completing 6 months in Start with Stars.
Your program will continue to partner with your QI Specialist throughout your participation in QUALITYstarsNY through regular on-site meetings and ongoing communication. Once you transition to QUALITYstarsNY, you will complete the rating process to earn your first Star Rating. Working with your QI Specialist, you will use the QUALITYstarsNY Program Standards to identify opportunities for improvement and continue to develop your Quality Improvement Plan, with access to a range of resources to achieve your quality improvement goals. Approximately every 3 years, you will complete the re-rating process to reflect on your progress and celebrate the ways you are enhancing and sustaining quality.
Programs participating in QUALITYstarsNY receive:
- Ongoing support from their Quality Improvement Specialist
- Data-driven assessment through the rating process to inform quality improvement planning
- Professional development opportunities and scholarships for staff
- Access to high quality classroom materials and furnishings
- And more!