Child Focus, Inc. is participating in a state-wide initiative called Step Up To Quality.

The state program, which was piloted two years ago and just made available statewide this year, is a completely voluntary, quality rating system for early care child centers and their early childhood education programs.

“Participating child care centers, like Child Focus, will be evaluated and then receive a one, two, or three star rating based on meeting four research-based quality care benchmarks that have been determined by the state of Ohio,” said Director of Child Focus Early Childhood Division Berta Velilla.

The four benchmarks, or research-based standards, that will determine the child-care center’s state rating are ratios (teacher/child ratios), the training and education of those teachers, specialized childhood development training (beyond college) for those teachers, and administrative support (the organizational aspects of running a day care center).

Child Focus not only meets, but far surpasses those standards, Velilla said.