Rainbow Child Development Center "Steps up to Quality" 

The Child Care center, located on Ohio SR 28 in Goshen, was recently rewarded a star from the Ohio Bureau of Child care and Development. The program works in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The rating system is voluntary and can climb as high as a 3 star ranking. Rainbow Child Development Center had to meet the following benchmarks in order to qualify for their first of three stars:

• Teacher ratios of
• One teacher to every 5 infants (birth-12 months)
• One teacher for every 6 infants (12-18 months)
• One teacher for every 7 toddlers (18-36 months)
• One teacher for every 8 toddlers (30-36 months)
• One teacher for every 12 preschoolers (36-48 months)
• One teacher for every 14 preschoolers (48-60 months)
• One teacher for every 18 school aged children (ages 5-15 years)
• Teachers must receive five hours of child development training per year, above licensing requirements
• To reduce staff turnover, the provide must provide at least one employee benefit to staff members
• Teachers must be familiar with Ohio's Early Learning Content Standards and be trained to prepare children for kindergarten.

Jennifer Kemplin, Program Director at Rainbow Child Development, says experts believe that achieving these benchmarks improves the growth and development potential of children, and gives parents a tool to measure child care centers side by side. Kemplin notes that in Ohio, 65% of children under the age of six have both parents in the workforce. She says 90% of brain development occurs before the age of five, making early development essential.