According to the Iowa Child Care Resource Referral (ICCRR) website, IQ4K is the state’s new Quality Rating and Improvement System for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) licensed child care centers and preschools, registered child development homes and programs operating under the authority of an accredited school district or nonpublic school. It provides five levels of quality (building blocks) that programs can achieve and continue to improve on and allows programs to “assess their current grade across all areas of programming and devise a structured plan to increase the overall level of program quality.”

It’s a big step for Castell, who has been working on obtaining the certification since last November, and she’s far from the only provider in Marshall County to go the extra mile. In Marshalltown, Bobcat Academy is rated at Level 3, and all three of the Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) head start centers are rated at Level 4. In addition, four in-home providers have the certification: Castell (Level 2), Becky Kouang of Marshalltown (Level 4), Elizabeth Kudelka of Laurel (Level 3) and Green herself, although she is no longer in operation and has moved over to the other side of the industry.

“It’s beyond a good feeling. We started our policy book with only a few pages, and now we’re over 40 pages. It’s a lot (of work). It’s not just coming and dropping your kids off,” Castell said.

Her center, which is located across the street from West Marshall Elementary School, is currently full with a waiting list, and Castell does her best to indulge the 16 kids she serves with a variety of activities and educational opportunities. As she put it, there’s a big difference between simply providing daycare and doing it as well as it can be done, and she’s already taken over 20 hours of classes above and beyond what is required.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — Becky and Patrick Kouang of Dandy Lion Early Childhood Learning Place in Marshalltown have obtained Level 4 IQ4K certification.

Partnering with Green and working through IQ4K also helped Castell and her team become aware of and successfully apply for a $14,000 grant to pay retention bonuses to staff as well as putting down more rock in the backyard and adding a portable handwashing station, a new ladder to the treehouse, a lead rope for walks and new toys, among other needs.

“They’ve learned about the quality improvement, and it just helps them grow so much. And they’re seeing where they have areas of improvement that they can complete,” Green said.

Nicole Terrell is a mother of twins from State Center who sends her kids to Castell’s center, and she feels better knowing that the people entrusted with their care are going the extra mile.

“I’m a new mom still, and picking somewhere to go was a lengthy process just because I wish I could stay home with them. But I’m a teacher and my husband’s a farmer, so that’s not really a choice for us,” Terrell, who teaches in Des Moines, said. “I’m 45 minutes away, so having someone that I can trust if anything’s happening, you know, I can’t get there immediately, so I need someone that’s gonna do what’s best for them… The environment (at Castell’s center) was super welcoming, and they’re learning. They’re going, they’re playing, they have a schedule and all those things. As a mom and a teacher, that’s (something) I like.”

The leaders at the other centers and in-home facilities also shared their thoughts with the T-R about what the certification means to them and how they still feel that the overall childcare environment can improve in Iowa amidst ongoing legislative conversations about how to make improvements from both a financial and regulatory perspective.

T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Bobcat Academy in Marshalltown has obtained a Level 3 IQ4K certification.

Ashley Johnson and Amber Young are the co-directors of Bobcat Academy, and they said that they hope that IQ4K gives parents the confidence to see that we are continually learning and working to improve best practices.

“We would encourage centers to work with their local Child Resource and Referral consultant to start the process. It was a tremendous amount of work to get the Level 3 certification, but we appreciate the benefits that our center can utilize,” they said. “One of the biggest benefits to having an IQ4K rating is the opportunity to use the WAGES program for our staff. Our staff can receive a stipend twice a year from the WAGES program if they have a college degree. It also encourages our staff to continue their education by taking classes in the early childhood field. We appreciate continued learning opportunities and are thankful to support our quality staff with additional compensation.”

They added that they are encouraged by a few of the state’s pilot programs that allow the childcare employees’ own children to receive free childcare and cover the cost of the Brightwheel management system, which they have utilized since they opened in 2016, for communication with parents.

Kouang, who operates her in-home center alongside her husband Patrick, commented that while she has always sought to provide high-quality care, she appreciates IQ4K’s focus on continual improvement.

“To retain our current level, we will have to complete many hours of additional training. We will have to resubmit policies, professional development plans, and do many more hours of specified training,” she said. “Training is one of our biggest obstacles. There are many times we will spend our weekends traveling to attend training courses that are offered in other areas. We both work more than 80 hours each, every week. We work with WAGES and TEACH, and both attend online classes through Southwest Community College. The ongoing education provides us with valuable knowledge that positively impacts our program in a variety of ways.”

She indicated that she would still like to see more progress on some of the regulatory frameworks as unregistered providers can essentially qualify for the same pay scale as those who have the higher ratings, and Iowa has chosen not to accept federal funding.

Kudelka, who is based in Laurel, also works closely with Green and feels it has been beneficial to her entire operation thus far.

“IQ4K has definitely improved me as a childcare provider and my childcare environment. My childcare families entrust me to provide the best care I can for their children. My home becomes a second home to these children. Families know their children are in good hands and in a positive learning environment,” she said. “I definitely encourage all in-home providers and centers to go through IQ4K. It is a thought provoking process that will have you create goals to improve your program, celebrate what you are already doing in your program, and provide continued education through recommended classes to take.”

To obtain the Level 4 rating at all of their centers, MICA had to show that teaching staff have had trainings specific to early childhood social-emotional needs, 12 hours of annual professional development, and verify that the program administrator meets requirements related to early childhood and administration training hours. Along with the specific training requirements, a health and safety checklist is completed by the ICRR staff at each site applying for accreditation.

“By obtaining this rating we hope families feel confident in our Head Start and Early Head Start staff to provide high quality care, facilities, and education to their children and that our work has been verified and assessed to meet the IQ4K standards,” MICA ECP Services Coordinator Jayni Hirth said.

To learn more about the program, visit https://iowaccrr.org/providers/iq4k/.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

maharry@timesrepublican.com.