The Ohio Northern University Child Development Center has received a Three-Star Step Up To Quality Award from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Bureau of Child Care and Development, the state agency responsible for licensing and promoting high standards among Ohio’s early care and education programs.

ONU’s Child Development Center was recognized for its excellence and ongoing commitment to children.

“The Child Development Center is pleased to receive this award, which tells families we’re serious about quality. Our Star Rating means we have highly educated teachers working to prepare children for kindergarten with a higher degree of professionalism,” said June Zimmerman, director of the Child Development Center.

Step Up To Quality is Ohio’s rating system for early care and education programs. Participating programs can earn a one-, two- or three-star rating by meeting an extensive list of quality benchmarks. The rating system also gives parents a useful tool for selecting quality early childhood programs.

Three-Star Step Up To Quality programs must meet the criteria set to receive the high rankings. For example, staff-child ratios in all classrooms must meet national high-quality early care and education standards, and the lead teacher in each classroom must have at least an associate’s degree in early childhood education or related field (or meet a Career Pathways Level 3).

Other criteria state that teachers must plan learning activities using Ohio’s Early Learning Content Standards and Infant & Toddler Guidelines, and all teachers and administrators must receive 20 hours of specialized training every two years.