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Success By 6 Revamp Targets Quality Measurement

Improving quality in more preschool childcare programs is the goal of a remodeled Success By 6™ program adopted Feb. 7 by the United Way of Roanoke Valley board of directors.

A three-tier plan encompassing more than 175 rating criteria provides ways to measure improvements in seven categories that experts use to define developmentally appropriate learning environments. It is based on proven techniques devised by early learning specialists at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“This new system is a stepladder for local childcare providers to make quality improvement more attainable and engaging,” said Danielle Yarber, head of the United Way Success By 6 Leadership Council that proposed changes after evaluating results from the program’s first five years. The redesign involved representatives of local public school systems, businesses, early learning advocates and current Success By 6 participants.

• The first tier is a continuation of free Success By 6 quality enhancement workshops for local caregivers, with new content specific to the seven categories. Speakers, reference materials and hands-on activities are to be included at each session. Current workshops attract an average 85 caregivers.

• The second tier, a quality enhancement program, aims to reach more providers and encourage applying workshop material on the job. Rather than using national accreditation benchmarks, this tier measures progress along UNC’s Environmental Rating Scales that address physical environment, basic care, curriculum, interaction, schedule and program structure and parent and staff education. The scales will be used for participants’ initial assessments, developing a quality improvement plan and tracking progress over time.

• The third tier is for childcare providers showing a high degree of readiness for national accreditation based on the second tier initial assessment or progress. The most demanding level, it gives providers up to a year of coaching, training and support to attain professional certification as an early childhood provider. In 2005, national accreditation was awarded to six providers enrolled in Success By 6. 

           

The mission of Success By 6 is to ensure that all Roanoke Valley children enter school healthy, nurtured and with the mental, physical, social and emotional developmental skills necessary to succeed in life. Bank of America funded local program startup with a half million dollar grant, and additional support has come from the Junior League and Carilion Foundation. Today, United Way provides primary funding with income from its endowment fund.

           

For more information about Success By 6, including workshop topics and schedules, contact United Way at 777-4211 or visit www.uwrv.org.

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