Early in 2024, team at The Village Early Childcare Center received a request from Iowa’s Health and Human Services (DHS) Licensing and Inspections representative that took them by surprise. Because of their consistently error-free licensing inspections record, the center was asked to be a Mentor Facility for growing and developing childcare centers across the state of Iowa.
After their initial opening in 2002, The Village Early Childcare Center quickly became one of the fastest growing and largest state-certified facilities in the Clarke County. Even with childcare provider shortages, the Village has been integral to the success of local families and children not only in day-to-day care, but also in preparation for life and learning in elementary school and beyond. The Village currently has a waiting list for classes at all age levels and care spaces and is looking to add more qualified teammates to their staff of 30.
“Child-to-provider ratios are an important metric to monitor,” says Center Director, Crystal Hansen. “It’s just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to the safety and well-being of our kiddos.”
According to usafacts.org, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan online research and data provider, “[A]round 43% of … inspection rounds uncover compliance issues. These issues can range widely in severity and may include anything from outdated paperwork to hazardous materials to too few supervisors to safely monitor the number of children present.”
With more than 3,500 state-certified childcare facilities across Iowa, annual inspections can fall short. In 2023, 13% of Iowa facilities went more than a year without an inspection. But the Village records show consistent annual inspections, including unannounced visits by the district DHS representative, Jill Seibert, dating back before 2020.
That was when the childcare center started showing consistent improvement in their annual licensing checks. Now, with more than three years of inspections and impromptu visits showing ZERO errors, The Village was asked, simply, “How did they do it?” The simple answer, and one that Hansen has been dedicated to since taking the leadership role at The Village is: Systems Process Integration.
Early inspections at the Village resulted in mixed bag of feedback. From minor facility upkeep errors to possible safety concerns that could move them to a “Provisional License,” each item cited offered a new opportunity for a process to be learned and integrated into their daily program. So instead of simply fixing the issue to pass an annual inspection, the Village team integrated the practice – sometimes as basic as using electrical outlet covers on all outlets – to avoid future errors.
They even went as far as to develop new systems, including Primary Care Groups wherein care providers are segmented within each classroom to allow for lower child-to-provider ratios and improving engagement and safety for the kids across the facility.
“When we first started, the managers and staff dreaded inspections,” said Hansen. “But when you simply integrate the right processes into your training and your everyday duties, they’re nothing to be concerned about.”
That’s when the DHS asked Hansen and the Village staff to start mentoring facilities that were struggling with these exact processes. As part of their mentorship, they’ve worked with childcare centers who’ve been put on a provisional license to help educate and improve these facility’s processes and integrate them into each center.
“We’ve worked with providers across the state,” said Hansen. “Each one has its own set of challenges and through this mentorship and guidance, we help them see the benefits to integrating measurable policies and procedures.”
Over the last year The Village has helped more than a dozen Iowa centers integrate processes that not only help make the facility safer and more productive for the children in their care, but also help the management and childcare providers in each facility perform better.
“This was part of our ongoing effort to improve the quality of service we provide to our families,” said Hansen. “If we can do that and help other centers through mentoring, it helps improve the quality of Iowa’s entire childcare industry.”
If you’d like more information on The Village Early Childhood Center or the services and activities available through the center, please contact Director, Crystal Hansen at 2500 College Drive, Osceola, Iowa 50213, phone: 641-342-1421.