The Early Childhood Initiatives Department of Wake County Smart Start is offering three projects for 2022 – 2023. Quality Enhancement Specialists (QES) work with centers on the Sustaining Quality Child Care project, available to any star level child care centers, and the Improving and Sustaining Quality Child Care project, available to 1, 2, 3 and 4-star child care facilities, to improve the quality of early education for children. Facilities must apply to participate. Participating facilities receive a variety of services including consultation, training, and technical assistance at no cost. The facility is assigned a QES who will work with the staff to design an improvement plan based on ratings from the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-R) or the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R). Priority for participation is given to facilities having the greatest percentage of children enrolled that receive a subsidy. The Healthy Initiatives Program Coordinator works with 4 and 5-star level centers on the Preventing Obesity By Design (POD) project that supports the implementation of natural outdoor spaces, increased physical activity and consumption of nutritious foods. Priority for participation is given to facilities having the greatest percentage of children enrolled that receive a subsidy.
Watch this short video to learn more about the types of Quality Enhancement projects and how to apply:
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MANAGING AGENCY
Quality Enhancement Projects are funded and managed by Wake County Smart Start.
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