The Level 5 staff at the Perkinston Campus Early Childhood Education center includes, from left, Abbi Arrington, Kelly Burke, Sarah Nix, Jane Brown and Irvette Dove.
The Perkinston Campus Early Childhood Education center received all five-star ratings Nov. 7 during a QRS evaluation. The staff, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the center and with the college in January 2014, received an initial Level 5 rating in January 2013.
The individuals who conducted the onsite visits based the Level 5 ratings on their observations when touring the child care centers, review of program documentations, parent involvement and teacher portfolios. A Level 5 rating is the highest a program can achieve in the Quality Step System, which is monitored by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Office of Children and Youth, and the Mississippi State University Early Childhood Institute.
“It is a difficult process to work through and takes dedication on the part of the center’s staff and the college students in the program,” says Sarah Nix, center director at the Perkinston Campus. “The MGCCC administration has helped us tremendously, making sure we had the resources to make this happen. We are all thrilled to have maintained our rating and that we can tell our parents and Early Childhood Education Technology majors that this center and the training program are among the very best in the state.”
The Perkinston Campus center is also certified by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).