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Step Up To Quality Stories

What Does it Mean When Providers are Enrolled in Step Up to Quality?

Searching for a high quality child care provider or preschool can be daunting.

But Nebraska parents have an incredible resource at their fingertips: Step Up to Quality maintains a list of providers who are enrolled in its process on its website.

These providers are going above and beyond normal licensing requirements to ensure the care they offer is truly high quality.

How to Use Step Up to Quality

When searching for child care, the first thing parents should do is check Step Up to Quality’s list of enrolled providers.

Meleah, a working mom who lives in Omaha with her family, referenced Step Up to Quality’s list when looking for a preschool for her daughter.

“It took the guess work out of the process…knowing they are providing quality care,” she said. “But what exactly does it mean when a provider is participating in Step Up to Quality?”

Morgan, a program coordinator with Step Up to Quality, offered a simplified explanation.

“Step Up to Quality is a rigorous process for child care providers, and they are rated on their curriculum, environment, professional development for their staff, and communication with parents, among other things,” she said.

Next Steps

Parents can use those categories – curriculum, environment, professional development, communication with parents – as topics to ask about when talking to potential child care providers.

No matter where providers are at in the Step Up to Quality process, parents can have more peace of mind knowing that those providers are prioritizing the quality of their care.

“You can be assured they are committed to the very best in early childhood education, whether they’re at a Step 1 or a Step 5,” Morgan said.

View (and share!) Meleah and Morgan’s conversation in the video below: