Jumping in from Day One
Jennifer Finch’s first day at the child care program Faith Academy, in March of 2012, happened to include a YoungStar visit. Jennifer met with her Technical Consultant Tracie Jarentowski that day, who walked her through everything that needed to happen for Faith Academy to grow through YoungStar, and for Jennifer to be knowledgeable enough to support that growth. “Tracie has a knack for coming into a center and getting to know you and your center at a personal level,” said Jennifer. From that point Jennifer could start to evaluate what the next steps were for her and her staff to start their journey through the YoungStar rating scale, while Tracie provided the tools and resources to make that climb. Jennifer began by focusing on updating the program’s classroom curriculum in the most effective and cost efficient way. From there, she and her staff moved into other areas that needed improvement. Since that first visit, Jennifer said, Faith Academy “has grown leaps and bounds in all areas specific to the YoungStar rating system.”
Observe, Evaluate, Plan
This year, going strong with a 3 Star rating, Faith Academy is focusing on training and practice surrounding effective observations of the children in their care and using those observations to implement individual goal setting and activity planning for each child. Jennifer said her goal is to get every staff member to build their confidence as early educators, and to develop a strong sense of certainty and professionalism in what they do. She would like to see every one of her providers at the point where, “they are just able to look at a child in their care and tell you where that child is developmentally, and talk to that child’s family about their development.” To further encourage parent engagement in their children’s educational experience, Faith Academy hosts parent events throughout the year, such as a tea party during the Week of the Young Child, or having parents chaperone on field trips. Overall Faith Academy “feels more like a family than anything,” said Jennifer.
The Family that Plays Together…
Jennifer and her staff continue to access the training and education opportunities offered through YoungStar, attending trainings like the Pyramid Model and the Wisconsin Model Learning Standards, and working towards their Infant and Toddler credentials. Bolstered by the knowledge they have gained, Faith Academy staff are applying it in practice by building portfolios to help set and reinforce those individual goals for the children in their care, as a way to better support their development . “I want everyone to know that the YoungStar process has been a great help to some who might not know what those next steps in program improvement may be,” said Jennifer. “We are thankful every day for Tracie and for what YoungStar has given us.”
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