MISSISSIPPI STATE – Hard work and a commitment to quality resulted in a Crawford child-care center becoming one of the most highly-rated programs in the area.

The Love & Learn Day Care is operated by director Joyce Lowery and assistant director Geraldine Farmer. Their hard work was rewarded when their center received a four-star rating during their assessment by the Mississippi Child Care Quality Step System. Only 14 out of 501 rated child-care centers in the state have gained this designation. They credit the professional development workshops and technical assistance provided by Mississippi State University Extension Service as a key element in their center’s progress.

Commonly called the QRIS, or Quality Rating Improvement System, the Mississippi Child Care Quality Step System is a voluntary program designed to increase the quality of early childhood environments. The system assesses centers utilizing nationally-normed environment rating scales. Independent evaluators from the Early Childhood Institute visit participating child-care centers, review center records, evaluate classroom environments and observe staff-child interactions.

“When we first began the QRIS program, we got two stars. In 2009, we got three. This year, we got four, which is how I wanted it to be, with continuous improvement,” Lowery said. “We took courses above and beyond the QRIS requirements. At faculty meetings, we’d discuss what we learned and how to apply it in our classrooms.”

MSU Extension associate Lucy Bryant of the Mississippi Child Care Resource & Referral Network helped the teachers and administrators of Love & Learn to apply best practices and prepare for their QRS visit.

“You can tell these children are loved and happy,” Bryant said. “This isn’t a center with loads of money. They planned carefully with the money they have, used community resources and volunteers to help, and they checked out resources from the MSCCR&R Network’s lending library to supplement their materials.”

Attaining a four-star rating is a rare achievement.

 “We were motivated to be in QRIS because we wanted to make sure we had quality child-care in our area. If someone could help make our center better, we asked for their help,” Lowery said. “We want to be the best we can for our children and parents.”

Assistant director Glenda Freeman agreed.

“We want people to know that even in a low socioeconomic area, you can still offer quality child-care,” Freeman said.