As a parent, you want the best possible early learning environment for your child. However, recognizing and defining quality is not always easy. Fortunately, with the introduction of the new Quality Improvement System in Sarasota County, called Look for the Stars, recognizing quality just got a whole lot easier!

Providers who achieve a three, four or five star level are providing and maintaining high levels of quality child care for the children of Sarasota County. Providers who achieve a two star level are recognized for providing quality above state licensing requirements and have demonstrated that they are actively taking steps to improve quality.

Click a star in the chart below to learn more about each star level.

"Children who participate in high-quality prekindergarten programs fare better in school, have better home lives, and... go on to higher achievement later in life, graduating from high school and attending college at a higher rate, and earning more once they enter the labor force"

– Economic Policy Institute, 2007