The Kentucky Department of Education gave Owensboro Public Schools’ Hager Preschool a Five-Star rating in its recent review of the school. It’s the highest rating an early childhood program can earn. There are less than 10 programs in the commonwealth that have been awarded this status.
“We consider ourselves a high-quality program and this confirms that we provide a strong curriculum and that we maintain a long-term, highly educated staff,” said Sherry Baber, Hager preschool director.
The new state required rating system started in July 2016. According to kidsnow.gov, Kentucky All STARS is Kentucky’s expanded five-star quality rating and improvement system for early care and education programs. Studies show that children who attend high-quality early learning environments have better math, language, and social skills. The unified system serves all early care and education programs that receive public funding including child care centers, Head Start, and public preschool.
Kentucky All STARS is based on Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards and research-based indicators of quality. It recognizes programs that have made a commitment to continuous quality improvement. On the expanded five-star scale, STARS level one is obtained by meeting regulatory requirements. STARS level two is obtained by completing a set of required domains and standards. STARS levels three through five feature a range of points programs must meet in order to meet to move up on the rating scale.
“We strive for excellence every day and this confirms that when documenting everything about our school, that we have been confirmed as an excellent early childhood program,” said Baber.
