Visit the QUALITYstarsNY website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat class gave me an understanding of how to budget my personal vs. my business income,\u201d says Kankindi. \u201cI went to the bank and opened a business account, and they gave me a card for the business. Now when I have to buy something for the day care, I use that business card \u2014 it\u2019s really much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kankindi is one among thousands of early childhood educators who have been impacted by QUALITYstarsNY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I could summarize QUALITYstarsNY in one word, it would be \u2018supportive,\u2019\u201d says Zielinski. \u201cEverything we do is based on a program\u2019s goals and needs. We meet providers where they are.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kankindi, who has four grown children of her own, has been caring for young children for more than 15 years. But she was eager to participate in QUALITYstarsNY because \u201cI knew I would learn a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was really my dream to see my day care grow and become more professional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zielinski, who works with more than 20 family and group family providers in the Finger Lakes region, says that her approach to working with early care and learning programs hinges on \u201cfoundational relationship-building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you participate in QUALITYstarsNY, we\u2019re not coming in to tell you what you\u2019re doing wrong,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re not working off a checklist that everyone has to do in the same order. I listen to where providers are coming from and what they\u2019re looking for, and then we work to drive program quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Kankindi, working with Zielinski has been \u201camazing.\u201d She says she has especially appreciated Zielinski\u2019s patience in working to understand her needs, because English is not Kankindi\u2019s first language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s showed me how to do research online to find what I need,\u201d Kankindi says. \u201cOr I show her what I do and she shows me another way of doing something that\u2019s easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After participating in the business course, Kankindi was inspired to launch new accounting practices to manage her day care\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of myself,\u201d she says. \u201cTo be free of that stress \u2014 I feel like I\u2019m going to live 10 more years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That feeling of success, says Zielinski, helps program leaders feel confident and motivates them to strive for new goals. Because QUALITYstarsNY operates on a three-year cycle in which program leaders meet monthly with their Quality Improvement Specialist, programs are able to invest time in reaching long-term quality goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cParticipating in QUALITYstarsNY is empowering,\u201d says Zielinski. \u201cSometimes family providers don\u2019t see themselves as professionals. They\u2019ll say, \u2018I\u2019m \u2018just\u2019 a provider.\u2019 And I say, \u2018No, you\u2019re also a business owner. You built this.\u2019 We put the ownership in their hands. When they see themselves making progress, they get that excitement and eagerness to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kankindi, for instance, is already focused on her next big goal: implementing a new curriculum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just got an email from QUALITYstarsNY about a class where they\u2019ll teach us about this curriculum, and that\u2019s the next goal I\u2019m going to do seriously,\u201d she says. \u201cIf I do that, I\u2019ll be so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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