Overview
If you are a parent looking
for child care, the North Carolina Star Rated License system
can help. In September 2000, the Division of Child Development
issued star rated licenses to all eligible Child Care Centers
and Family Child Care Homes. (Note: Religious-sponsored
child care programs will continue to operate with a notice
of compliance and will not receive a star rating.)
What is a star rated license?
The star rated license
is a voluntary licensing system where a child care program
can earn points in three different areas:
- Program Standards
- Staff Education
- Compliance History with Child Care Regulations
Programs that are meeting higher standards can
receive credit for doing this, and you can use this information
as you search for a child care program.
Why a star rated license?
The previous licensing system didn't
offer enough information to parents about the quality of
care their program was providing so North Carolina moved
to the star rated license system in September 2000. For
example, under the previous system, a center that received
an A license was meeting only minimum requirements but parents
may have thought this was the highest rating. To minimize
confusion and to maximize understanding, a five star
licensing system was developed because this type of rating
system is typical for many products and services.
An additional benefit of the star rated license
system is that it recognized providers for the higher
quality care that they provide. Lastly, the star rated
license acts as a roadmap for providers to follow as
they strive to improve the quality of their care.
How are the stars determined?
Each of the three areas of
the star rated license (program standards, staff education,
and compliance history) has a range of one through five
points. The star rating is based on the total points earned
for all three areas. Listed below is the breakdown for
the number of stars received based on the total points
earned in each of the three areas.
Number of Stars Received |
Total Points Earned |
|
3 - 4 Points |
|
5 - 7 Points |
|
8 - 10 Points |
|
11 - 13 Points |
|
14 - 15 Points |
For Example
A program scores 2 points in program standards,
3 points in education standards, and 4 points in compliance
history. The total is 2 + 3 + 4 = 9 points. The program
would get a three-star rating.
Example |
Program Standards |
2 Points |
Education Standards |
3 Points |
Compliance History |
4 Points |
Total Score |
9 Points |
Star Score |
|
For more information please contact
Raquel Rodriguez
Parents Services Manager
860-2277
rrodriguez@ccpfc.org
