Next Door is the only early learning agency in SE Wisconsin to ever receive a perfect score in the history of the state child care rating and improvement system
Milwaukee, WI – Next Door, a birth-to-five early learning school based in Milwaukee’s Central City, received its first-ever perfect, 40-point score in the latest evaluation by Wisconsin’s YoungStar rating program. This milestone follows an annual review at Next Door’s 29th Street campus, and marks the first perfect score for a child care program in Southeastern Wisconsin and the third one statewide.
“I am so proud of our teachers and staff for achieving such a high mark when it comes to the education and care of our city’s youngest learners,” said Dr. Tracey Sparrow, President of Next Door. “This is such a critical time in the child’s life for brain development and a score like this validates that we’re making an impact.”
YoungStar began rating programs in 2011 as part of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. YoungStar staff review and rate around 3,700 child care programs across Wisconsin as a way to help parents make well-informed decisions about child care. The rating is based on an agency’s performance in four primary categories: education and training of staff, learning environment and curriculum, business and professional practices and health and wellness.
Next Door’s 29th Street campus in Metcalfe Park includes Educare Milwaukee, which is part of a national early learning network of 21 schools. The program’s best practices and network support helped Next Door earn this latest achievement. Highlights include:
- 100% of classrooms have Lead Teachers with a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Earned the maximum amount of points on an environment rating scale, measuring everything from the program’s daily schedule to health & safety practices in the classroom
- Children remain in the same classroom for at least 12 months
- Teachers interact daily with parents about the child’s day-to-day activities
- Program provides at least three different types of engagement opportunities for families to participate in per year
If you are interested in additional details or would like to follow up with news coverage, please contact Max Seigle with Next Door. More information about Next Door and YoungStar is available below.
About Next Door: Founded in 1969, Next Door is an award-winning, birth-to-five early learning school based in Milwaukee’s Central City. The agency currently serves more than 2,000 children and families with three locations in Milwaukee and ten community partner sites in Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties. Our highly-qualified staff combines educational and healthcare resources to help our students thrive during a critical period of brain development and ultimately get them ready for school. Knowing parents are a child’s first teacher, Next Door offers additional family support through prenatal services, a nationally recognized fatherhood program and adult education. For more information, visit www.nextdoormke.org.
About YoungStar: YoungStar is Wisconsin’s child care quality rating and improvement system. It was designed to help Wisconsin’s child care providers improve and sustain quality practices while also giving parents the tools and information they need to raise happy, healthy kids. Our simple 5 Star rating system gives providers objective measure of program quality, rewards excellence, and offers programs a clear path to improvement. YoungStar also offers training programs, technical assistance, micro-grants, and other resources for providers and parents. For more information, visit youngstar.wi.gov.