A message from Sherry M. Cleary, Executive Director:

Governor Cuomo’s 2018 budget proposal, released yesterday, includes a funding allocation of $5 million for QUALITYstarsNY for the second year in a row. We are grateful to have the support of the Governor’s office and we honor his commitment to high quality early childhood in New York State.

QUALITYstarsNY is New York’s early childhood quality rating and improvement system, designed to ensure that New York’s youngest children have access to high quality care and education across the state. With next year’s support, we will be able to continue to serve 750 early childhood programs and over 34,000 children. The parents of these thousands of children can confidently leave their children every day in the centers, schools, and family homes that participate in QUALITYstarsNY, knowing that their little ones are in the nurturing and stimulating environments that research shows is vital to their healthy development and lifelong success.

QUALITYstarsNY provides an evidence-based standards framework and uses a data tracking system to ensure maximum accountability and the efficient, effective use of public funds. Most importantly, it works. The number of highly rated programs increased by 65% over a three-year period. With the support of New York State and other public and private sources, QUALITYstarsNY is determined to expand the number of participating programs to provide access to excellent care to more children across the state and to protect the extensive investment made in Pre-K. With a target to serve 3,400 center- and school-based programs and 3,200 family providers serving 230,000 children, from birth through five years, within the next five years, additional support is urgently needed for the vital expansion of the program.