You can now download your certificate directly from risingstarsforme.org. If you have Director of Record (DoRA) or DoRA Assistant access, you can log in to risingstarsforme.org and select “My Profile” on the home page.

Once in your profile, select “Download Certificate” from the left-hand menu and your current certificate will download for you:

Note: If you have completed a new application, your new certificate will not be available for download until the application has been reviewed and certified by the Office of Child and Family Services. Please allow 5-10 business days for your application to be certified. 

As always, please reach out to risingstarsforme@maine.edu with questions.

Programs are asked to update both enrollment and opening information to provide important data for different purposes. The chart below helps explain the differences. All links are available to access below the chart.

• Rising Stars for ME Website
• Child Care Choices
• Child Care Plan for Maine
• ECE Enrollment Data Collection Program Webinar
• Updating Openings on Child Care Choices

As always, please reach out to risingstarsforme@maine.edu with questions.

All licensed programs must update their Rising Stars for ME application at least every two years at the time of licensing renewal. For programs rated at Star 3 and above – or for those working toward Star 3 – keeping an updated E-Portfolio with the required evidence for each requirement in Rising Stars for ME will facilitate the application process so you have the necessary documents on hand. 

To assist programs in assembling their E-Portfolios, we have created E-Portfolio Guides for Facilities and Family Child Care Programs. These guides outline all required evidence for each Star rating within each Standard and provide helpful related resources and links. You can find the E-Portfolio Guides at the links below: 

• E-Portfolio Outline for Facilities 

• E-Portfolio Outline for Family Child Care 

As always, please reach out to risingstarsforme@maine.edu with questions. 

Because family child care programs are not required to have staff, the Rising Stars for ME Staffing and Professional Development requirements (Standard 3) addressing Career Lattice Levels do not include requirements for staff. Only the Program Owner must achieve specific Levels on the Career Lattice in order to move up to a higher Star rating. 

However, family child care programs with staff have opportunities to include them in continuous quality improvement activities. Read all the Family Child Care Standards here. For example: 

• 2.3.3 – The program writes a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Plan based upon the results from and Family Survey and the Rising Stars for ME Inclusive Practices Checklist. Family child care programs can include staff feedback in the CQI plan. 

• 2.3.4 – Programs with staff hold staff meetings at least quarterly that include discussions regarding the CQI plan. 

• 3.4.2 – The Program Owner and any staff create an individual annual Professional Development Plan addressing their training and education goals. 

• 4.3.1 – All staff have a written job description defining job responsibilities. 

• 4.3.3 – Programs with staff provide monthly opportunities for individual supervision. Staff do not have to participate in individual supervision each month but must be offered the opportunity. 

• 4.3.4 – All staff are evaluated at least annually by a supervisor to refine their skills through feedback and guidance. 

As always, reach out to risingstarsforme@maine.edu with questions. 

In Standard 2: Program Evaluation, at Stars 3, 4, and 5 a program is required to complete all or parts of the Rising Stars for ME Inclusive Practices Checklist as part of the program’s overall Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Plan. 

At first glance, this document can seem overwhelming – it’s new, it covers a wide range of topics, and it’s thirty-five pages! Before you dive in (or run away from) the Checklist, remember the following: 

• The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS) created a short overview video of the Checklist to help you get started.

• The newly revised MRTQ PDN training Inclusive Child Care uses the Checklist as part of the training content to give you a head start on completing it for your program. There are still openings available for the trainings starting in September and October. Check the Training Calendar for info. 

The most important thing to remember is that your answers on the Checklist and the content of your goals DO NOT count toward your rating with Rising Stars for ME. The Rising Stars for ME Standards ask only that your program uses the tool yearly (the Prerequisites and two categories at Star 3 and the full Checklist at Stars 4 and 5) and includes a summary of the results in your CQI Plan. How you approach setting and working toward your goals is up to you! 

As always, reach out to risingstarsforme@maine.edu with questions. 

This is thinking ahead! It’s important to know that there is not a renewal process with Rising Stars for ME; programs must REAPPLY at the time of their license renewal or any time there is an anticipated rating change. 

Your Rising Stars for ME expiration date will align with your license expiration date in most cases. To check your expiration date, you can check your Rising Stars for ME certificate or log in to risingstarsforme.org and view your most recent submitted application. 

Programs can work on their Rising Stars for ME application and E-Portfolio at any time, but it’s important to note that unless your license expiration date is upcoming within 60 days, your expiration date will not change. 

For example, if your program’s Rising Stars for ME and license expiration dates are 1/1/25 and you complete a new Rising Stars for ME application on 9/1/24, your Rising Stars for ME expiration date WILL REMAIN 1/1/25. Your program will still need to submit a reapplication no more than 60 days before 1/1/25 to receive an updated Rising Stars for ME certificate. 

As always, reach out to risingstarsforme@maine.edu with questions. 

[risingstarsforme.org]

MRTQ PDN is very excited to introduce the new, FREE, 8-hour, on demand Preschool Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards (P-MELDS) training! This new training is included in the Rising Stars for ME Standards. Read the list below to see where you fit to determine if the new training could affect your Rising Stars for ME goals: 

If you have already taken the 30-hour online MELDS training, you already meet the requirements for: 

• Facilities 3.3.6: Program Owner/Director with children ages 36 months to kindergarten enrolled. 

• Facilities 3.3.8: (At least one) Teacher or Assistant Teacher caring for children ages 36 months to kindergarten. 

• Family Child Care 3.3.6: Program Owner with children ages 36 months to kindergarten enrolled. 

If you have NOT taken the 30-hour online MELDS training, you can complete the new on-demand P-MELDS to meet the above requirements. 

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to take the new P-MELDS training! 

If you have general questions about the Rising Stars for ME application or Standards, please visit the Office of Child and Family Service’s Rising Stars for ME website or email risingstarsforme@maine.edu. 

Amber Taurasi at the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) is beginning to contact child care programs about conducting a site visit.  Programs are randomly selected for a scheduled site visit to validate a program’s Rising Stars for ME application. These visits are a requirement for all licensed and license-exempt non-relative programs in Maine, regardless of current Star rating. A site visit does vary based on the individual program.

• For Star 1 and 2 programs: No Rising Stars for ME E-Portfolio is required. The site visit will answer any questions and make connections if the program is interested. If documents have been uploaded into E-Portfolio, an individualized plan can be created to assist the program in their effort to achieve a higher Star level. If the program is not interested in moving to a higher Star rating, a visit is still required by OCFS.  In this case, the site visit will typically take less than 30 minutes. 
• For Star 3 and 4 programs: E-Portfolio evidence (electronic or hard copy) that specific requirements are being met within each of the seven (7) Standards must be maintained. The evidence must be available when a program is chosen for site visit. If the applicable information is already uploaded to the online application, nothing additional is needed. These visits typically take about 90 minutes. 
• For Star 5 programs: Most Rising Stars for ME requirements are covered via the accreditation requirements. The site visit includes reviewing staffing qualifications, trainings, and Rising Stars for ME Inclusive Practices Checklist. These visits typically take about 60 minutes.

How should I prepare for the visit?

To ensure an efficient Site Visit and Review, please have the following available:

• A workspace set up review materials
• Rising Stars for ME evidence, if not already uploaded to www.risingstarsforme.org

You will receive a summary of the visit’s findings within ten (10) business days of the Site Visit and Review. If you have general questions about the Rising Stars for ME application or Standards, please visit the Office of Child and Family Service’s Rising Stars for ME website or email risingstarsforme@maine.edu. 

Rising Stars for ME is meant to be inclusive for all programs in Maine, no matter the size, philosophy, or location! If your program has a specific focus, such as outdoor learning, there are several ways you can demonstrate that in your Rising Stars for ME application and E-Portfolio. For example:

• In Standard 1: Learning Environment and Developmentally Appropriate Practice under Star 4 you can include information about your program’s philosophy on outdoor learning in your articulated approach to learning and development.

• Your program’s Continuous Quality Improvement Plan can include goals related to outdoor learning for Standard 2: Program Evaluation, Stars 3 and 4.

• In Standard 7: Health, Safety, Physical Activity, and Nutrition you program can choose nutrition and physical activity goal(s) related to outdoor learning for Stars 3 and 4. Go NAPSACC includes a focus area specific to outdoor learning to get you started!

There are many ways for programs to show off their unique approaches and features with the Rising Stars for ME Standards. We want to see what makes your program special! If you have general questions about the Rising Stars for ME application or Standards, please visit the Office of Child and Family Service’s Rising Stars for ME website or email risingstarsforme@maine.edu.

Programs with a Conditional License must be enrolled with Rising Stars for ME to comply with licensing regulations. The rating given to programs with a Conditional License is Star 2 Restricted. This rating recognizes the program’s participation with Rising Stars for ME and that it is not currently in good standing with licensing, which is required for programs to rate at Star 2 or higher. 

Unlike the previous system, Quality for ME, programs that resolve their Conditional License and are again given a full license are allowed to reapply for a new Rising Stars for ME immediately. In the past, programs with “serious licensing violations” were held at a lower Step for up to three years. With Rising Stars for ME, programs can complete an application to reach their previous rating and there are no restrictions on when the program can apply for a higher rating. 

Programs with a Conditional License will receive a new “Star 2 Restricted” certificate with an updated expiration date to align with the Conditional License expiration date. This certificate must be displayed in the program for the duration of the Conditional License. 

If you have general questions about the Rising Stars for ME application or Standards, please visit the Office of Child and Family Service’s Rising Stars for ME website or email risingstarsforme@maine.edu.