Parents searching for quality child-care services in Iowa will have another tool at their disposal as a voluntary rating system begins to receive applications. Child-care centers and homes that participate will be rated on a scale of one to five stars, based on how well they score in areas related to health and safety, environment and professional development.

The Iowa Department of Human Services has been working toward implementing such a system for the past three years, and in mid-April announced the Iowa Quality Rating System was “ready for business.”

“We’ve been working closely with child-care providers while developing this plan, so we know there’s considerable interest,” DHS Director Kevin Concannon said in a release. “The result will be higher quality child care for more and more kids.”

One child-care center administrator in Des Moines said he’s optimistic that will be the case, but said he’s frustrated at how slowly the process is moving forward.

“My impression is that DHS has this all laid out, but they don’t have staff to carry it out,” said Brian Fett, assistant administrator of Daycare for Exceptional Children, which serves about 100 children at two centers in Des Moines. “It seems a little backwards to me. It’s going to be a wonderful system in a couple of years to improve the quality in the state, but it’s got a few hurdles to jump first.”

Legislation signed nearly a year ago by Gov. Tom Vilsack enabled the department to move forward with implementing the system, which will also award cash bonuses to child-care providers that receive ratings of two stars or higher. A rating remains in effect for two years, after which the center must reapply to receive an updated rating and an additional bonus.

A study commissioned in May 2005 by the Iowa Business Council, “Child Care, Parents & Work: The Economic Role of Child Care in Iowa,” recognized the ability of parents to find quality, affordable child care within their communities as a critical need in a state that ranks third in the nation in the percentage of dual-income families. Iowa is among about a dozen states that have implemented similar rating systems.

The department has mailed approximately 300 applications at the request of centers or homes, and as of last week had received two completed applications, said Jody Caswell, child care program manager with DHS.

A one-star rating indicates a center or home has met the minimum standards for licensing, “so a rating of a one or a two isn’t a bad thing,” said Caswell, who will administer the rating program until the department hires a permanent administrator. “That’s what we’re hoping to educate parents about.

“We also need to understand that we probably aren’t going to have a lot of homes or centers coming in at a three, four or a five initially,” she said. “You’re going to have to do some work to improve. I think what we’re going to see a lot of facilities coming in at twos and threes, and then I think we’ll see an increase in those four or five facilities.”

There are about 1,500 licensed centers in Iowa, as well as about 6,000 registered homes that care for six or more children. Child-development homes that care for five or fewer children may participate in the rating system if they comply with state registration requirements.

Those providers that receive a two-star or higher rating will receive “achievement bonuses,” of up to $1,000 to homes that receive a five-star rating and up to $4,000 for centers serving more than 100 children that earn the top rating. The payments are meant to acknowledge the time and labor costs providers will incur to qualify for the ratings.

“The biggest piece, I think, is going to be the educational level of teachers,” said Fett, who said the bonuses will amount to “just a token” of the time and money it will require for additional education. “If you have a teacher with little or no educational background other than a high school diploma, it would take a lot of time and money to get them to where they need to be for a three- or four- [star rating].”

Fett said his center will probably begin the application process in the fall. He expects it will initially earn a three-star rating.

“I think everybody would like to have the five-star rating,” he said. “If we could hit a three, we’d be very happy for now.”

Providers will receive a plaque to display at their centers, and ratings will also be available online, though the Web site has yet to be set up, Caswell said. Staff at each of the five regional child-care resource and referral offices will also have access to the ratings and will have information to explain to parents what the ratings mean, she said.

The department is also working on brochures for parents that it expects to have completed by June, Caswell said.