Day Care at VGCC Franklin Campus Awarded 5 Stars

The state of North Carolina has once again awarded a five-star rating — the highest possible rating — to the Day Care Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus.Like its counterpart on the college’s main campus, the facility earned the rating this year for having a knowledgeable and dedicated staff, a safe and attractive environment, and opportunities for children to develop mentally, physically and socially. Day Care Center manager Michelle Patterson expressed her satisfaction at earning the high rating and said she was especially pleased for what it means to the children. “There is a direct link between the number of stars earned and the quality of care at a center,” she said. “Earning the five-star rating shows everyone that we give the best quality of care available.”The Division of Child Development of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services began rating child care centers from one to five stars in 2000. Since then, the Day Care Center on the Louisburg campus has earned the five-star rating in both previous evaluations (in 2001 and in 2004). It is one of only three child care centers with five-star licenses in Franklin County, according to the latest information on the Division of Child Development website.After visits by fire and sanitarian inspectors and a state licensing consultant, a state-appointed evaluator visited the Day Care Center and rated it in two categories – staff education and program standards. The Day Care Center received a perfect score of seven points in the area of education.Program standards were measured using Classroom Rating Scales, on which the Franklin Campus center scored an average of 6 out of a possible 7. “The staff worked really hard to achieve this high score on the Classroom Rating Scale,” said Patterson. “Our state consultant indicated that our scores were some of the highest she had seen since the inception of the star-rated licensure program. Every staff member, including our work-study student, rolled up their sleeves and pitched in as a team. I am proud of the growth I have seen over the past few months.”Finally, the center was eligible for one bonus point because all of its teaching staff have associate’s degrees in Early Childhood Education, as well as for using the “Creative Curriculum,” for a total of 14 out of a possible 15 points.“I am very proud of our five star status obtained by our child care staff,” Franklin Campus Director Bobbie Jo May said. “We are very fortunate to have quality day care that we can provide to our students, staff and the community.”Patterson pointed out that not only does the center provide outstanding child care, but it also affords an excellent learning environment for students in Vance-Granville’s Early Childhood Associate program. This program is offered at both the Main and Franklin County campuses, and enrolled students get practical training at day care centers on each campus.Boasting two classrooms, a kitchen and fenced-in outside play area, the VGCC Day Care Center on Franklin Campus is licensed to accommodate 22 children, 2 to 5 years old. Full-time students at Vance-Granville are encouraged to use this resource for their children. When all spaces are filled, parents may put their children on a waiting list for when vacancies occur.For more information or to enroll children at the center, call Michelle Patterson at (919) 496-1567.Above: From left, Child Care specialist Teresa Gallatin, Day Care manager Michelle Patterson, and teacher Lawanda Wilkerson celebrate the Franklin Campus child day care center’s third consecutive five-star rating from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.