St Patrick Preschool Receives Highest Quality Rating
St Patrick Preschool is seeing stars after receiving the highest possible 4-star quality rating from the Kentucky Department of Education’s “STARS For Kids Now” program. Only 17 of Kentucky’s 681 licensed child care centers – less than 3% – that have achieved this prestigious distinction. St Patrick is the first preschool in Pulaski County to have done so.
STARS for Kids Now is a voluntary statewide quality rating program available to child care centers and preschools who wish to go above and beyond the minimum state licensing requirements to improve the quality of their programs.
St Patrick Preschool began the STARS process in 2001 with a 3-star rating, and has been working hard for its 4th star since then. In 2005, the Preschool became accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the premiere national accreditation available to early childhood programs. NAEYC accreditation is one of many stringent requirements for the 4-star rating.
St Patrick Preschool is the oldest early childhood program in Pulaski County. It began in 1970 when a group of mothers of young children started a mother’s day out to provide a place for their children to spend some time socializing and learning outside the home. After a few years, the “mom’s day out” had transformed into a formal early childhood program. The Preschool has been a program and ministry of St Patrick’s Episcopal Church since its inception, and is located in the church’s historic Fox House.
The Preschool is staffed by Carrie Altmaier (Director), Jenny Ledford, and Brandy Sneed. It accepts 3,4, and 5 year old children.
For more information about STARS, visit www.education.ky.gov. or call Mary Davis at 451-6933; for information about the National Association for the Education of Young Children, contact www.NAEYC.org.