Program Spotlight

Shooting for the Stars: Initiative Promotes Quality Early Childhood Education

When Christine Perry became the director of the Kids Learning Center in Cutler Bay in 2007 she brought a wealth of experience.

She had already logged a total of 19 years as an early childhood educator, nine with Kids Learning and 10 with two other centers. Perry appreciated that Kids Learning was respected in the community because parents knew their children were well cared for and safe at the center.

But Perry also believed that things could improve. She knew that teachers, many who had been with the center for years, needed motivation, that new curricula could enhance learning, and that the facility was in need of new furniture, more supplies and other updates.

Christine Perry completed the Advance director's credentials course with help from Quality Counts.

Then she heard about The Children’s Trust Quality Counts initiative. With the support of owner Yolanda Anido and General Director Rosa Cordoba, Perry enrolled the center in The Children’s Trust initiative to improve the quality of early child care and education. Kids Learning Center joined hundreds of other Miami-Dade centers participating in the push to professionalize the field.

“We’re very grateful for the Quality Counts (QC) program, not only for the classes that I’ve been able to attend, that our teachers have attended, but also for the help from someone from the outside – for them coming in and voicing their opinion,” said Perry, who has completed a course in director credentialing through Miami-Dade College with QC support.

She also applauded Devereux Florida Inc., the agency contracted to conduct the evaluations. “Devereux does really take the time to really see what your program is about – they’re very professional,” Perry said.

Already accredited through APPLE or the Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment, an early learning program accreditation, Kids Learning Center was given an initial three star rating in its first year with Quality Counts. Funds were made available through the initiative to help the center purchase materials. More importantly, the center worked closely with an assigned mentor, Gloria Betancourt, from Florida International University, the contracted agency providing technical assistance specialists, to improve what it was already doing well.

“The specialists came out and asked us: What do you think your needs are?” Perry remembers. The center, she replied, wanted to improve its Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS and ECERS), scores that evaluate a range of factors, such as: space and furnishings, personal care routines, language-reasoning, activities, interactions, program structure, and parent and staff relationships. Their Quality Counts mentor listened and also made suggestions – about curricula, about the physical lay-out, about materials and resources.

“One doesn’t see what you’re already doing. When someone else comes in, your eyes start to open up,” Perry said, “you begin seeing with someone else’s eyes.”

Teacher Ester Perez promotes fun activities with children at one of the center's several outside playgrounds.

The center continued its improvements and earned a fourth star last year. Award money was used for cameras to observe children’s interactions, for new computers and for “manipulatives,” resources that stimulate physical and motor development.

New tables and cots were purchased, shelves were lowered – all improvements to the physical landscape of the center.

The Cutler Bay site accommodates 135 children with 16 teachers on staff.

Many of the teachers, such as Margarita Perdigon, who works with the infants group, have benefited from the center’s participation in Quality Counts. Originally from Cuba, Perdigon has been with Kids Learning Center for 10 years. She attended training sessions at Nova Southeastern University in the evenings after her day at the center, taking college classes offered in a bilingual format.

“It’s really helped me a lot to expand and improve what I do. The classes at NSU gave me the vocabulary to speak with parents – many parents think that there’s really nothing to be done to educate very young children – but that’s not true at all,” said Perdigon. “Even at 9 months they enjoy all sorts of activities. It’s so important to start with them at an early age.”

Margarita Perdigon encourages activities for even the youngest toddlers.

Nancy Leal has been a teacher for 11 years at the center. She also attended evening classes. “They really helped me realize myself as a teacher,” Leal said.

Raysa Diaz was hired at Kids Learning just eight months ago. After she lost her job in the insurance business, she began taking care of neighbors’ children – and realized that she loved it. A friend suggested she seek employment. At Kids Learning she’s already taken CPR and other training classes, and plans to take advantage of others to learn more about early education.

Parents like Rodney Alford appreciate the quality care that Kids Learning Center provides. Over the past 13 years, Alford has brought all six of his children here. Currently his 8-month-old and 4-year-old are in the school and an 11-year-old comes to the after-school program.

They take very good care of the kids,” Alford says, “They always keep two or three teachers in the classroom and you notice the rotation. I’ve brought every last one of my children here.”

Parents and children in the Cutler Bay community come from many different countries and teachers are challenged to “build community in the classroom.” Multicultural curricula are a huge help, yet they’re expensive. Quality Counts award money has helped provide some of these valuable resources. Award funds also helped toward Perry’s early childhood studies at Miami-Dade College.

Walk on a tour of the center and in each classroom – and on every playground, you’ll find children engaged in a whole range of activities – reading, hands in the sand and water tub, drawing with crayons and soft paints, playing instruments, singing and dancing, racing up and down in a spirited ball game.

This past year, Perry focused the center on pursuing new accreditation with the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) and for assistance through Children’s Development Services (CDS). The CDS provides child care assistance to low-income families in the the form of tuition scholarships; for an accredited (Gold Seal) center, the CDS programs pay 20 percent for each child. In the future, Perry plans to go for that fifth star in The Children’s Trust Quality Counts program.

"We talked with Devereux and our mentor about our goals to continue to improve our ITERS and ECERS," she said. “If you can accomplish that, they told us, then you’ll be a perfect center. We can do it – we just have to work a little harder.”

Quality Counts is a quality rating improvement system designed and funded by The Children’s Trust in partnership with the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe and the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation/Ready Schools Miami. It is administered in collaboration with Florida International University, University of Miami Mailman Center, Devereux Florida, Family Central Inc., the Children’s Forum, and the United Way Center for Excellence.

Written by Michael R. Malone