Oklahoma’s Reaching for the Stars program was implemented in 1998 by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. This was developed to improve the quality of child care in the state and to give parents a uniform standard by which to measure and compare child care centers.
Why is Reaching for the Stars important?
This program was designed to achieve three goals:
To improve the competency level of child care providers and increase the overall quality of their programs.
To increase access to child care for families receiving child care assistance by increasing reimbursement rates
To create a system that informs parents about the level of quality their child receives at the chosen child care center
By raising the overall level of child care in Oklahoma and access to low-income families, this will create lasting benefits for children. Studies show that the first five years of a child’s life have a direct impact on the lifetime development of the individual. Young children who attended higher quality care programs had better language development, problem solving, and social skills. Thus, Reaching for the Stars increases the ability for child care providers to create the necessary experiences that lay the foundation for each child’s long-term success.
What is Reaching for the Stars’ rating scale?
There are 4 quality levels in the Reaching for the Stars program: One-Star, One-Star Plus, Two-Star, and Three-Star. There are specific criteria that must be met at each level:
One-Star programs must meet the minimum licensing requirements
One-Star Plus programs meet additional criteria such as additional teacher training, parent engagement, and program planning
Two-Star programs are either nationally accredited or meet additional quality criteria
Three-Star programs must be both nationally accredited and meet additional quality criteria
HiMama + Oklahoma’s Reaching for the Stars
Numerous early childhood programs in Oklahoma use HiMama in their licensed child care facilities to meet expectations set out by Reaching for the Stars. How your center chooses to use HiMama will vary based on the unique circumstances of your community, families, educators and attending children. However, we’ve provided some guidance on how HiMama will assist your early childhood program in achieving a higher rating.
KEY AREAS OF A CHILD CARE PROVIDER
HIMAMA APPLICATION
Director/teaching staff qualifications and ongoing development
Increase retention of high-level staff through teacher empowerment
Staff is applying mobile technology in the classroom to better align with expectations of the families
Provides professional growth and development activities, through numerous HiMama resources, including weekly blog articles, weekly podcasts for leaders in early childhood education, white papers and reports
Components of staff performance can be evaluated through the HiMama app, including classroom documentation quality and interactions with families
Family engagement
HiMama enables early childhood programs to connect parents with the classroom by inviting them to participate in children’s experiences and in turn build all around trusting partnerships
Parents receive automatic individual updates and reports about their child’s experience and development in the early childhood program, including assessments to reflect on a child’s readiness for transitions to new programs or into school age programs
HiMama has created a parent handbook template that includes risk management strategies and communication plans
Teaching practices and early learning programming
Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines (ELG) is accessible for child care and early learning programs directly through the HiMama app, enabling assistance with lesson planning, developmental observations, online portfolios and development reports
HiMama electronic portfolios and development assessment reports can be shared with parents on an as-needed basis or by the schedule set by the early learning center / program
Visual documentation of classroom activities assists in evaluation of classroom setup and learning activities
Assess gaps in programming across learning domains
Process quality
The HiMama application saves on average 5 hours per teacher per week. Therefore, teachers can dedicate more time to observing and promoting interactions in the classroom that spur developmental growth for children.
Intuitive lesson planning features empower teachers to be organized and follow through on their lesson plans to maximize children’s learning experiences.
How do I find the closest child care provider with a Reaching for the Stars rating?
To find a Reaching for the Stars provider near you, a parent or caregiver can visit Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services website.
HiMama makes documentation and reporting of children’s learning and development in alignment with Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines (ELG) quick and easy so that educators can spend less time on documentation and paperwork and more time with children.
Learn how HiMama can help you align to Oklahoma's quality guidelines without all the paperwork and late nights.
What is Oklahoma’s Reaching for the Stars?
What is Oklahoma’s Reaching for the Stars?
March 7, 2017 | By Tom Tu
Why is Reaching for the Stars important?
This program was designed to achieve three goals:
By raising the overall level of child care in Oklahoma and access to low-income families, this will create lasting benefits for children. Studies show that the first five years of a child’s life have a direct impact on the lifetime development of the individual. Young children who attended higher quality care programs had better language development, problem solving, and social skills. Thus, Reaching for the Stars increases the ability for child care providers to create the necessary experiences that lay the foundation for each child’s long-term success.
What is Reaching for the Stars’ rating scale?
There are 4 quality levels in the Reaching for the Stars program: One-Star, One-Star Plus, Two-Star, and Three-Star. There are specific criteria that must be met at each level:
HiMama + Oklahoma’s Reaching for the Stars
Numerous early childhood programs in Oklahoma use HiMama in their licensed child care facilities to meet expectations set out by Reaching for the Stars. How your center chooses to use HiMama will vary based on the unique circumstances of your community, families, educators and attending children. However, we’ve provided some guidance on how HiMama will assist your early childhood program in achieving a higher rating.
How do I find the closest child care provider with a Reaching for the Stars rating?
To find a Reaching for the Stars provider near you, a parent or caregiver can visit Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services website.
HiMama makes documentation and reporting of children’s learning and development in alignment with Oklahoma Early Learning Guidelines (ELG) quick and easy so that educators can spend less time on documentation and paperwork and more time with children. Learn how HiMama can help you align to Oklahoma's quality guidelines without all the paperwork and late nights.
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