GREENE: NG Preschool Program receives Gold Circle of Quality award
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By Carmen Ensinger
Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press
Staff and administration from the North Greene Preschool For All program were recognized by the North Greene School Board at their Sept. 20 meeting for receiving the Gold Circle of Quality award from the State. Front row, left to right: Lacie Ralston, Trista Carter (pre-k teachers) and Jackie Kuchy, Superintendent. Back row: Bekka Wingler (paraprofessional), Dennis Savage (parent educator) and Stacey Beams (paraprofessional).
The North Greene District’s Preschool For All program received the highest of honors from ExceleRate Illinois, a statewide quality recognition and improvement system designed to make continuous quality improvement an everyday priority among early learning providers.
North Greene Superintendent Jackie Kuchy informed school board members that the Preschool For All program had been awarded the Gold Circle of Quality award. Members of the Preschool For All staff were present to receive the award from Kuchy at the meeting.
“We have been working on this program for several years and we feel that what this program has done and the way it has turned around over the last five to 10 years is really worth celebrating,” Kuchy said. “We were pretty excited to learn we had earned the Gold Award and I just wanted you all to have an opportunity to congratulate them because we want them to know how much we appreciate all of their time and effort.”
The ExceleRate Illinois program establishes standards for helping infants, toddlers and pre-school age children develop intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. It provides a framework for early learning professionals to identify opportunities for improvement, increase their skills and take steps to make positive changes.
There are four Circle of Quality designations.
The Licensed Circle of Quality is the foundational circle of quality and recognizes compliance with the licensing standards of the State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. This is the lowest of the four designations.
The Bronze Circle of Quality recognizes qualifications and professional development, with completion of a robust series of trainings. Bronze Circle trainings are aligned with the standards of ExceleRate Illinois, and prepare programs for success as they progress through the Circles of Quality.
The Silver Circle of Quality recognizes completion of a rigorous self-assessment and implementation of a continuous quality improvement process, as verified by an independent assessor. Silver Circle programs meet or exceed specific quality benchmarks on learning environment and instructional quality, along with selected administrative standards; qualifications; and professional development.
The Gold Circle of Quality recognizes programs which have demonstrated quality on all standards, as validated by an independent assessor. Gold Circle programs meet or exceed specific quality benchmarks on learning environment, instructional quality, and all administrative standards; group size and ratios; qualifications; and professional development.
“Personally, I am excited that the state finally recognized them for their value,” Kuchy said. “Of course, we already knew what an asset they are to our community, but it feels good for someone else to tell you that as well. We knew it, but now someone else has confirmed it.”
The Gold Circle of Quality is good for three years.
