Early Childhood Initiatives
Ohio’s Early Care and Education Quality Rating System Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) is a three-level quality rating and improvement system that recognizes and promotes early care and education programs that exceed minimum health and safety licensing requirements.
Rated programs like ECEC’s feature:
- Development of school readiness skills,
- Commitment to continuous improvement,
- Focus on family engagement, and
- Highly trained teachers.
ECEC is rated at a Gold level, meaning we are exceeding Ohio’s minimum health and safety licensing standards! Learn more about the Gold Rating here.
A UPK site is a preschool in Cuyahoga County’s award-winning program to help 3-5 year olds have access to a high-quality prekindergarten program. UPK Preschools meet these high standards and many others:
- Teachers hold higher education credentials.
- Low teacher / child ratios
- A child’s unique needs are the basis for experiences and activities.
- A child’s screening and assessment results are shared with families.
- Family and community input informs continuous center improvement.
Any preschool aged resident of Cuyahoga County can attend a UPK Preschool. Each program sets its own tuition amount, but Cuyahoga County can provide 50% scholarship assistance to families earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level (for example: up to $124,800 annual income for a family of four.) Ask ECEC’s director and enrollment specialist for more information. Learn more about UPK here.
