Stepping up to quality at A-List Kids Childcare and Learning Center

Published on March 23, 2018

Laroy Holloway runs A-List Kids Childcare and Learning Center, a successful family child care program out of his Westwood home. But his greatest life accomplishment is raising his son.

“I was a single parent and I raised my son alone,” he said. “My son was born with cerebral palsy. They said he was never going to be able to walk or talk. But for the past 18 years, he’s been a manager and working at Xavier University. My son is my greatest accomplishment in the world.”

Laroy joined Cincinnati Preschool Promise in October as part of the Quality Improvement program. Enrollment and Outreach Manager Florence Malone called Laroy as soon as she started with the organization.

“When I took this job with Cincinnati Preschool Promise and learned about our goal to help providers improve their quality, the first person I thought of was Laroy,” she said. “Everything he does is top quality, so we just need to support him through the Step Up to Quality system.”

Now, through Cincinnati Preschool Promise, Laroy receives personalized support and coaching to help improve quality. Since joining, he has been paired with DeAnna Lane, a coach from Cincinnati Early Learning Center, and Jessica Wilder, a coach from Santa Maria Community Services.

DeAnna and Jessica work with Laroy to develop a quality improvement plan that focuses on four categories: Learning and Development; Administrative and Leadership Practices; Staff Qualifications and Professional Development; and Family and Community Partnerships.

“Preschool Promise has helped me to put my business planning for both staff and students into prospective, which in turn will assist me in achieving excellent quality ratings in the SUTQ state required program,” Laroy said.

Laroy will be sharing his story during an upcoming event, “Keeping the Promise: Stories of Impact.” The event, which is in partnership with Urban Artifact, will take place on April 10 from 6-8 p.m. in the Urban Artifact Sanctuary (1660 Blue Rock Street, Cincinnati, OH 45223). It is free and open to the public, food will be provided, and there will be a cash bar. Click here to RSVP to hear four inspiring storytellers, including Laroy.

“Cincinnati Preschool Promise has made valuable resources available to me to assure my success and career growth,” Laroy said. “They have single-handedly kicked open doors that have appeared to be obstacles in my career path as a childcare business owner.”

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