Valley View Early Childhood Center Earns State's Top Quality Designation

Submitted by Valley View School DIstrict:

Valley View Early Childhood Center has achieved the Gold Circle of Quality designation, the highest honor issued through the state’s new early learning program rating system known as ExceleRate Illinois.

“ExceleRate unifies all of the state’s early learning programs under a common set of standards across multiple settings to provide families with important information about quality early learning programs in their community,” said Cindy Zumwalt, Early Childhood Division Administrator for the Illinois State Board of Education. “We are pleased to recognize the Circle of Quality that your preschool has achieved.”

ExceleRate Illinois uses a consistent set of standards involving teaching and learning, family and community engagement, leadership and management, and qualifications and continuing education to determine Circle of Quality recipients. Honors are given in one of four categories: the Licensed Circle of Quality, the Bronze Circle of Quality, the Silver Circle of Quality and the Gold Circle of Quality.

Members of the Gold Circle of Quality, such as VVECC, “have demonstrated quality” on each of 15 standards, and also “meet or exceed specific quality benchmarks on learning environment, instructional quality, and all program administrative standards; group size and staff/child ratios; staff qualifications; and professional development.”

ExceleRate Illinois includes Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) Licensed Child Care Centers, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Preschool for All and Center-Based Prevention Initiative Programs, Head Start/Early Head Start Programs, and Chicago Public School Preschool Programs.