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Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Friday, August 08, 2008

Pilot project rates child care providers

ST. PAUL (AP) — Parents can now use a new rating system to help them choose the best preschool or day care for their children.

The program Parent Aware voluntarily evaluates and rates child care centers, preschools and home sites. Participating providers can receive a one- to four-star rating to let parents know how well they prepare children for school.

The service is now available for families in four test areas, including St. Paul, north Minneapolis, Wayzata and Blue Earth/Nicollet counties. Parents can search for the ratings on the Internet or by calling a hot line.

So far, 250 providers have signed on. That’s on top of nationally accredited programs across the metro area, which also are included in the search. They automatically receive a four-star rating.

The ratings are based on factors such as staff experience and qualifications, family education, adult-child interactions and the progress of children in the program.

Parent Aware also helps providers improve. For example, provider DeSarae LeGrand got free curriculum training, which normally would cost at least $900. Her home is filled with $5,000 in new learning materials and equipment.

“It’s a process,” said Chuck Johnson, an assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. “It takes a lot of work and commitment to be a high-quality provider.”

Low-income families can receive up to $4,000 in aid to help send their children to a program or provider that gets high marks.

“I’ve been doing this for 13 years, but this gave me a brand new spark,” LeGrand said of Parent Aware. “They opened up doors and built bridges.”

The program is offered by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation, the Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

The foundation paid about three-quarters of the approximately $1.2 million project with private dollars. The rest comes from state funds.