Local day care receives highest rating

Debbie McCormick runs Debbie's Daycare and recently applied for and received a STAR 3 rating as part of Best Beginnings STARS to Quality Program.

McCormick received the STAR 3 rating which, STARS Consultant Tammy Phelps said, is the highest rating in the program's region six area. Region six covers 13 counties in north-central and northeastern Montana, Phelps added in an email to the Havre Daily News.

Phelps said there are 233 STARS to Quality day care programs in Montana with Region six having 18 programs. Havre has five STAR 2 facilities and McCormick's day care is the only STAR 3 facility.

Phelps added that she is very proud of McCormick for achieving the STAR 3 rating.

McCormick said she feels accomplished and that it took a lot of time and effort, but she is "pretty proud of our day care for achieving that."

McCormick has been providing child care services for 31 years. She has been with multiple agencies, but is currently working with Family Connections which is based in Great Falls.

She said the Best Beginnings STARS to Quality Program started back in 2011 and McCormick was part of the pilot along with one other provider from Havre. The first year of the program was busy and chaotic trying to get the necessary paperwork filed, McCormick added.

With the STAR 3 rating, the day care receives financial assistance which, McCormick said, helps with funding supplies, maintenance to the facility and play equipment.

She added that they have provided a line-item list of what the assistance can be used for and a percentage of the assistance has to be used on employees in form of raises or bonuses.

She is also using the money to cover the cost of re-siding the garage because the paint is peeling.

"It's kind of a safety issue," she added.

In order to achieve the STAR 3 rating, child care providers must apply for the review process. McCormick described the process as "intense."

"Someone came from the state that did a six-hour observation," she added. "She was there from before kids came and stayed for six hours. She followed us around, watched everything we did, wrote down everything, went through all our paperwork. It was intense. But we passed."

Providers also need a CDA or childhood development associate degree. McCormick said she didn't have that, but that since she had been providing child care for 31 years, the CDA was counted as part of the longevity clause.

McCormick said the six-hour assessment has now been added as a requirement for providers to have every year.

She added that her main employee is getting her early childhood development degree from University of Montana-Western.

McCormick said she got into the day care business back when she was working nights, and once her second child was born, she decided to be a stay-at-home mom.

"It started out with just taking two neighbor kids and it's just grown," she added.

She has 18 kids on her roster and, along with herself, there is one full-time staff member and two subs. She added that she and her staff are all trained in CPR, have taken sleep safety courses and medication administration.

"So my staff is way up there," McCormick said.

When she first started the day care, McCormick said, she used her house as the main facility. However, she now has a new house, but still uses her first house as the day care center.

McCormick is also the president of the Hi-Line Childcare Association. The group consists of local child care providers who meet once a month and put on different activities for kids, she said.

She is also on the board for Montana Childcare Association as a secretary. She added that MCA also puts on community events.

"I like the kids. I don't like the paperwork, but I like the kids," McCormick said. "They're fun. I just really enjoy kids."

Despite all the hard work and stress, McCormick said, it has all been worth it.

"Our facility wouldn't be where it's at now without the STARS programs," she added.