On November 7, QUALITYstarsNY was featured on Buffalo’s local news program, Daytime Buffalo to discuss the support we provide as New York State’s Quality Rating & Improvement System. Quality Improvement Specialists Jill Boeck and Susan DiNatale were joined by Barbara Stone Reden from JCC Buffalo and Rachelle Robinson from Lighthouse Center. The group discussed QUALITYstarsNY’s work with early childhood educators in Western New York and across the state, providing guidance and support for ensuring high-quality programming.

“QUALITYstarsNY is a statewide initiative to support child care providers—group family, family, center-based, and UPK school-based programs—to provide the best start for children that they can have.”

– Quality Improvement Specialist Jill Boeck

“When we think about quality, it really is the foundation for early learning and lifelong success. What research tells us is that high-quality programs focus on those important things like family engagement, social emotional development, school readiness, and making sure there is a commitment to having high-quality staff so that they have responsive caregiving.”

– Quality Improvement Specialist Susan DiNatale

“Quality improvement is not a one and done. The JCC has been involved in QUALITYstarsNY since its inception…and one of our goals is to continue to improve. So QUALITYstarsNY has been a wonderful partner in that… Most recently we’ve been using QUALITYstarsNY funds to help our teachers pursue continuing education. So I have many teachers that are now taking college courses, a couple who are doing master’s degrees–and all of that has an amazing impact on the experience that the children have, the experience the families have, and how professional the staff feels.”

– Barbara Stone Reden, JCC Buffalo Director

“We have really been focusing on continuing education, so through QUALITYstarsNY, we have sent 11 teachers through the Child Development Associate (CDA) program. So these are people that maybe didn’t ever go to college and now they are 40 or 50 and want to continue their education because they love child care.”

– Rachelle Robinson, Lighthouse Center Director