What are bright blue and yellow and popping up across Pennsylvania? Perhaps you have seen them along routes 58, 62, 208, in libraries, grocery stores or doctor offices. 

They are billboards, posters, and brochures urging parents to reach for the stars when choosing child care — Keystone STARS. Or they might be proclaiming that every child is Pennsylvania’s future. 

Keystone STARS is one of the programs in Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children that is designed to help families, teachers, and communities see that children grow into productive citizens.

For parents, deciding where your young child will spend the day can affect his or her learning for life. What your child experiences before age 5 will affect language skills, number skills, and social skills.

In fact, about 90 percent of our brains are developed before we reach kindergarten. Studies show that attending a quality early-learning program can have a huge impact on a child’s readiness for school, achievement in school, and future career and life success.

So how do you know if an early childhood program is providing quality early-learning opportunities? One way is to ask about Keystone STARS.

Keystone STARS promotes quality in early-learning programs such as child care and Head Start. Programs can earn from a STAR 1 to a STAR 4 level based on quality standards in four key areas:

• Staff education: Early childhood teachers have the training and knowledge for working with young children

• Learning environment: The program has a variety of materials and activities for each age level that makes it possible for children to learn something new every day!

• Leadership and management: A quality program has to have sound business practices to ensure your child’s safety and early learning

• Family and community partnerships: Parents and community members are encouraged to become a part of the child’s learning progress

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare provides technical assistance and supports for programs as they move up the STARS quality ladder.

A 2006 evaluation report from the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University found that programs in Keystone STARS have higher quality than the Pennsylvania average for child care centers and are showing higher quality now than at the inception of the STARS program in 2002.

There are about 4,000 Keystone STARS programs in Pennsylvania, including centers, group child care and family child care homes. In Mercer County we have 34 child care sites and all our Head Start classrooms are participating. To find out about Keystone STARS programs near you:

• Visit www.papromiseforchildren.com