An organization in Pittsburgh that two years ago released a report that concluded that the state's public schools were unsatisfactory now is hoping to pressure child care services to improve themselves by issuing a similar report on their progress.

The report on quality child care in Southwestern Pennsylvania was released by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development two weeks ago and lists the facilities in Butler County which have earned special ranking as part of a state program called Keystone STARS.

Few facilities were judged because few of them signed up for the voluntary program, and it is something the organization hopes to change by publishing the report.

The report, which includes statistics on the availability of child care in southwestern Pennsylvania, also indicates which programs have received a positive review through the Keystone STARS program, administered by the state Department of Public Welfare.

The program recognizes childcare providers that exceed state health and safety licensing requirements through the designation of stars based on four levels.

The program also encourages providers to join the STARS program and work to improve their child care facilities to reach the higher service levels. To reach the highest levels, staff and administrators must submit to rigorous training to keep their skills updated and to learn new techniques for helping children prepare for school.

Statistics from the program used by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development to develop its overall report were from the program's pilot year four years ago. Few centers participated in the program during the pilot year, which accounts for the lack of ratings for many facilities.

Among the 38 facilities in Butler County not receiving stars were The Butler County Community College Children's Creative Learning Center, the Vision Early Childhood Center II in Mars and the Butler County Family YMCA's programs within the Seneca Valley School District. In each of these cases, the centers did not receive stars because they did not participate in the STARS program.

Judy Zuzack, director of the BC3 Children's Creative Learning Center for only a year, said the center didn't participate in the Keystone STARS program, which accounts for its lack of a rating.

Zuzack, who has only been director at the center for a year, said she wanted to wait to enroll in the STARS program until she was more comfortable in her new position.

"I think it is a good program, and it certainly has a lot of incentives attached to it with the grant money," she said.

Child care services in the STARS program may be eligible for grant money to help them improve their services.

Zuzack said she has no doubt if her center was to be evaluated today under the STARS program, it would easily earn one or two stars.

Zuzack said she plans to look into enrolling into the program this year.

According to the report, only 10 centers in Butler County received any kind of star, with the Butler County Children's Center and the Meridian United Presbyterian Church Day Care the only two programs to receive a two-star ranking. Those were the highest rankings of any program in Butler County.

Because many programs did not receive stars at all, parents were questioning the quality of those programs.

"The absence of a star in no way denotes a bad evaluation," said Karen McIntyre, early education director for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

McIntyre said she has received an equal number of calls from parents and child care providers who have misunderstood the ratings provided in the report.

"The report itself actually did say we understand this is a pilot program and not all the centers had participated," McIntyre said. "But the problem is, many people skipped right over that explanation page and went right to the statistics, so they didn't get the full picture."

Alice Nunes, chief executive officer of the Butler County Children's Center, said she was thrilled to find out the center's Bon Aire location made the report. Nunes said she wanted to spread the news immediately, but was asked not to by the agency that released the report.

"They were asking us not to advertise we had a stars rating," she said. "They wanted to announce it in a formal way first."

But now that the formal announcement has been made, Nunes said she is more than happy to let people know about the Bon Aire location's two-star status.

"I look at it as a kind of AAA for child care centers," she said.

Nunes said the staff worked hard to earn the stars, and continues to work toward the four-star rating.

"All the staff has to have more training, so it really takes everyone to make it work," Nunes said. "We're going to continue to work for the four stars. You don't just jump to star 4 status. You have to work up to it according to the program rules."

Kathy Frederick, site manager for the center, said she considered it an achievement for the center to be accepted into the pilot program, and considers the two-star rating an added bonus.

The center was among the 400 statewide originally accepted into the pilot program. To be accepted, schools had to meet a strict standard set by the state Department of Public Welfare, which administers the program.

Frederick said the center currently is working toward its third star, and she is confident her staff will help make that possible.

"We have to go above and beyond what is currently required by the state (to earn stars)," she said. "But our staff is dedicated and motivated to do it."

Frederick said incentive money the center has earned through its two-star rating was used to assess the safety of its playground equipment and then to upgrade it for improved safety. Those improvements are now being made.

Child care centers benefit from participating in the program because each star comes with the promise of grant money for their program.

McIntyre said the entire purpose of the report was to show parents where quality child care centers are located. It also wanted parents to know the Keystone STARS program now has expanded and is open to every child care center that wishes to apply to it.

Even programs that participated in the Keystone STARS pilot program were not always properly assessed.

Programs in the pilot phase automatically started at the one-star phase and had to work their way up to the four-star status. The only facilities that automatically received four stars were those already accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

McIntyre said she hopes all centers will sign up to participate in the Keystone STARS program, which is voluntary.

"The participation of child care providers in the voluntary Keystone STARS initiative can bring a much-needed resource to child care that will provide benefits for years to come by improving school readiness and ultimately contributing to the development of a quality workforce for our region's future," McIntyre said.

Nunes said she sees the program as positive and hopes more day care centers agree to participate because the centers will then be working toward a common goal.

"I've been in child care for 30 years, and this is the first time this has happened with everyone working together," she said.

Information on the report, as well as the STARS program, can be found at www.schoolreadiness.info.