Some have called preschool the most important grade because of the long-term gains realized by children who were enrolled in high-quality early childhood education programs. We’ve written past posts to help you understand what is meant when child care programs are described as “quality” or “high-quality.” Now, we want you to understand the benefits to choosing an early childhood care and learning program that is Quality Rated.

When considering a child care program, whether it is a center-based provider or a family home, it is likely that your search criteria includes several factors: child safety, cost, location, hours of operation, and curriculum. All of these factors are extremely important, but what about some of the components that are not as easy to see or find out such as are the children participating in age-appropriate learning.