DCCA’s child care program director Maribel S.D. Loste said they will strictly monitor the performance of child care facilities that get funding from the federally funded program.
According to Loste, they will rate the centers based on their performance and services.
The centers have to complete their self-improvement plans and meet their objectives, she added.
“Beginning next year, their ratings will be reviewed and if they continue to get low scores they may not be allowed to provide services to families [benefiting from the federal program],” Loste said.
The island has 22 registered child care providers of which 18 are active.
On Saturday, 54 representatives of child care centers attended a professional development session at the multi-purpose center in Susupe where they worked and discussed their improvement plans.
Loste said majority of the centers she visited had a low rating giving an overall rate of 3.5 — the minimum grade requirement is 4.
She said the grading system, set by DCCA is not meant to compare one center to another but is part of a self-improvement program for all centers.
According to Loste, this will allow DCCA to know if a center needs more technical support or professional development.
The grading system, she added, is based on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale and the Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale.
“They must improve the services they provide to the children and that is what we believe — childcare is no longer just babysitting but it must also provide quality education,” Loste said.
She said they have asked Northern Marianas College to help provide professional development trainings to child care providers.
After DCCA took over the management of the program from the Public School System last year, child care providers complained about the delay in the issuance of their checks.
However, Loste said through working collaboratively with other agencies, this issue has already been addressed.
