Children playing in classroom

Keystone STARS Improves Quality

The quality of child care in Pennsylvania is improving, especially in programs participating in Keystone STARS. This is the result of a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State.

“Child care in Pennsylvania serves more than 300,000 children, and it is the largest program helping to prepare children for school,” said Gov. Rendell. “The findings of this study are so important because research has shown that high-quality early care and education are critical in preparing children for success in school, work and life.”
The study evaluated 572 child care facilities across Pennsylvania in 2005 and 2006. Programs were assessed using two rating scales (ECERS-R and FDCRS) using a 1-7 scoring basis, with 1 = inadequate and 7 = excellent.

Among the major findings of the study are:

  • Child care quality is improving. While average scores dropped between 1996 and 2002 from 4.50 to 3.90, in 2006, the average score for sites not participating in STARS rose to 3.94.
  • Keystone STARS continues to improve quality in child care centers. The average scores in 2006 for centers participating in STARS ranged from to 4.11 (Start with STARS) to 5.42 (STAR 4).
  • Programs with a defined curriculum provide higher quality education for children, scoring 4.83 on the ECERS-R scale while programs without a curriculum scored only 4.36.
  • Programs employing teachers with at least an associate’s degree provide higher quality early education and care, scoring 4.82 on the ECERS-R scale while programs employing teachers without at least an associate’s degree scored only 4.11.

Previous research examining Pennsylvania’s early care and education programs has shown that quality has decreased substantially over the past decade, according to Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman. “We could not sit back and watch quality in these programs continue to decline, especially when the early years of a child’s life have a permanent impact on their brain development and learning abilities.”

Since 2002, Keystone STARS has increased access to quality early learning experiences due to an emphasis on staff education, staff participation in ongoing professional development, use of a curriculum and helping practitioners support children’s early learning and development. As of September 2006, nearly 4,300 child care programs were enrolled in Keystone STARS.

“These findings reinforce earlier studies that indicate that teacher education and a defined curriculum play an important part in the quality of an early care program,” said Richard Fiene, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University Prevention Research Center and co-author of the evaluation.

Keystone STARS is one of a variety of programs administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Child Development to help families and communities provide for, protect, nurture and teach our young children.

To read the executive summary and download the full report, go to www.pakeys.org.