CGH Helping Hands Daycare receives state award

STERLING – CGH Helping Hands Daycare received the Silver Circle of Quality designation from ExceleRate Illinois, the state’s quality recognition and improvement system for early childhood education and care programs.

“ExceleRate Illinois helps families make more informed choices about their children’s early learning,” said Jamilah R. Jor’dan, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development. “It establishes standards to help infants, toddlers and preschoolers develop intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally. Additionally, it provides a framework for early learning and development professionals to identify opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills.”

“We are proud to receive the Silver Circle of Quality,” said Mimi Hicks, CGH Helping Hands Daycare director. “Providing quality in early learning and development will help our children be better prepared for success in school and in life.”

Research in science and brain development shows that children who are more meaningfully engaged in early learning experiences from infancy through the first five years of life are more likely to be successful in school and in life. With the right engagement, children can form a healthy foundation of neural pathways in the brain, which affect their ability to think, react, process and grow.

ExceleRate Illinois is a comprehensive system that includes licensed child care centers, licensed family child care, Preschool for All, center-based prevention initiative programs, Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The program is administered through the Illinois Network of Child Care under the joint direction of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois State Board of Education.

For more information about CGH Helping Hands Daycare, visit www.cghmc.com/daycare. For more information or to find a Child Care Resource and Referral agency, visit www.ExceleRateIllinois.com.