Shows Continuous Quality Improvement Commitment to Children in Chicago
The McCormick Montessori Child Care Center at Swedish Covenant Hospital recently received ExceleRate Illinois Silver Circle of Quality designation, the state's new quality recognition and improvement system for early learning and development providers.
"We are extremely proud to receive the Silver Circle of Quality designation," said Emily Flatley, MS, director of operations at McCormick Montessori. "Providing exceptional quality in early learning and development will help the children of Chicago be better prepared for success in school and life."
Earning the designation was a group effort over many months. “We are very appreciative of our teachers, staff and everyone who has worked tirelessly to earn this important designation by providing excellent care and education for our students,” said Norma A. Guzmán, Ed.D., AMS, director of educational programming.
The Child Care Center is an important part of the Swedish Covenant Hospital campus. “We have seen firsthand the great work the teachers do, and this recognition further reflects the high quality of the program,” said Anthony Guaccio, President and CEO of the hospital. “The center offers an excellent year-round child care option for hospital employees who have children 6 weeks to 5 years old and represents an attractive benefit for recruiting new staff. We are proud to have the only Montessori school on a hospital campus in the country. And we are impressed with the academic and interpersonal skills that the graduates take to kindergarten.”
ExceleRate Illinois, which administers the designation program, helps families make more informed choices about their children's early learning by establishing standards to help infants, toddlers and preschoolers develop intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. "Every early learning and development provider who participates in ExceleRate Illinois makes quality a priority," said Gail Nelson, QRIS Policy Director, Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. "The higher the designation, the higher the program's demonstrated quality and comprehensiveness in meeting children's early learning needs."
ExceleRate Illinois is a comprehensive system that includes Licensed Child Care Centers, Licensed Family Child Care, Preschool for All and Center-Based Prevention Initiative Programs, Head Start and Early Head Start Programs.
