Keystone STARS is the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) used in Pennsylvania to evaluate the quality of early care and education programs.[1] Such program providers include child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes, however, this dataset concentrates specifically on group child care homes. In Pennsylvania, group child care homes are defined as “a child care facility in which seven through twelve children of various ages or in which seven through fifteen children from 4th grade through fifteen years of age who are not related to the operator receive child care.”[2] The central focus of QRIS is to improve the overall performance of early childhood programs so that Pennsylvania families have access to high-quality care and education services. Keystone STARS centers not only receive a Department of Human Services Certificate of Compliance, Pennsylvania’s minimum requirement for safety, but additionally combine Early Education standards to ensure children are cared for in safe and educational environments.[3] Early learning programs that participate in Keystone STARS earn rating scores from 1 through 4 based on if they meet certain quality standards in four key areas: staff education, learning environment, leadership/management, and family/community partnerships.[4] STAR 3 and 4 providers are traditionally considered higher quality, while STAR 1 and 2 levels are indicative of lower quality standards. Measuring the number and proportion of group child care homes in STARS provides insights into the relative quality of such centers in Pennsylvania. These statistics also indicate which STAR levels are most common across the state and can be used in efforts for improvement.

Keystone STARS is the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) used in Pennsylvania to evaluate the quality of early care and education programs.[1] Such program providers include child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes, however, this dataset concentrates specifically on group child care homes. In Pennsylvania, group child care homes are defined as “a child care facility in which seven through twelve children of various ages or in which seven through fifteen children from 4th grade through fifteen years of age who are not related to the operator receive child care.”[2] The central focus of QRIS is to improve the overall performance of early childhood programs so that Pennsylvania families have access to high-quality care and education services. Keystone STARS centers not only receive a Department of Human Services Certificate of Compliance, Pennsylvania’s minimum requirement for safety, but additionally combine Early Education standards to ensure children are cared for in safe and educational environments.[3] Early learning programs that participate in Keystone STARS earn rating scores from 1 through 4 based on if they meet certain quality standards in four key areas: staff education, learning environment, leadership/management, and family/community partnerships.[4] STAR 3 and 4 providers are traditionally considered higher quality, while STAR 1 and 2 levels are indicative of lower quality standards. Measuring the number and proportion of group child care homes in STARS provides insights into the relative quality of such centers in Pennsylvania. These statistics also indicate which STAR levels are most common across the state and can be used in efforts for improvement.