Thousands of poor youngsters start kindergarten unprepared to learn and behind their peers, delays that can cause them to struggle throughout their school years.
A proposal being considered by Ohio lawmakers aims to reduce those learning gaps by requiring all tax-funded preschool and childcare programs to participate in a rating system to help guide parents and ensure high standards.
Public preschool, subsidized childcare in centers and home-based settings, and similar tax-funded programs would be rated under Ohio’s Step Up to Quality program by 2020. Ratings — one, two or three stars — would be awarded by the state based on teacher qualifications, class sizes and educational offerings.
The program has been in place for several years but participation has been voluntary.
“It is critical that Ohio ensures all publicly funded programs are held to the same high standards to ensure that each of our children, especially children with high needs, enter kindergarten ready to be successful academically, socially, emotionally and physically,” Stephanie Siddens, director of the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and School Readiness, told a Senate committee considering the proposal.
The proposal was among several education initiatives included in Gov. John Kasich’s mid-year biennium budget review. Under the plan, early-childhood and special-education programs would be required to participate in Step Up to Quality starting in July 2016, while childcare programs must join by July 2020.
State Superintendent Stan Heffner said the initiative won’t expand the number of children served through tax-funded preschool and child-care programs, but it will help improve the quality and better prepare youngsters for kindergarten.
About 105,000 low-income children receive subsidized childcare and another 37,000 high-needs youngsters are enrolled in public preschool.
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