Pennsylvania's Childcare Quality Rating System: What It Means for Directors and Staff
Keystone STARS is Pennsylvania's quality rating and improvement system, run by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
Certified, compliant programs enter at STAR 1, STAR 2 through STAR 4 are the levels eligible for Continuous Quality Improvement Awards — 2026-27 maximums run from $750 to $7,500 — and programs can also receive higher Child Care Works subsidy payments.
This page walks directors and staff through the levels, what our research did and did not establish about staff credentials and observation tools, and the money attached to a rating.
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At a glance
Keystone STARS.
The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
Certified, compliant programs enter at STAR 1.
Four: STAR 1, STAR 2, STAR 3 and STAR 4.
Not established in our research — check with OCDEL or the Pennsylvania Key.
CQI Award funds may be spent on staff qualifications and professional development.
Pennsylvania rating levels
- STAR 1Rating level
The entry designation: certified, compliant programs are welcomed to Keystone STARS by receiving STAR 1.
- STAR 2Rating level
Eligible for the 2026-27 Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Award, where the lowest maximum, $750, belongs to a STAR 2 family child care home.
- STAR 3Rating level
The third level; STAR 3 programs are also eligible for the 2026-27 CQI Award.
- STAR 4Rating level
The top level, with a 2026-27 CQI Award maximum of $7,500 for a child care center with a licensed capacity of 251 or more, and reachable through OCDEL-approved alternate pathways: NAEYC accreditation plus a regular DHS certificate as of July 1, 2026, and Head Start/Early Head Start grantees in good standing.
What is Pennsylvania's QRIS called, and is participation required?
Pennsylvania's quality rating and improvement system is Keystone STARS, run by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
Certified and compliant programs are welcomed to the system by receiving a STAR 1 designation, so a program's first rating is tied to its DHS certification.
The materials our research could reach confirm the STAR 1 entry point but do not state whether a program must progress beyond it, so treat the expectations above STAR 1 as something to confirm with OCDEL before you plan around them.
“Certified and compliant programs are welcomed to Keystone STARS by receiving STAR 1 designation.”
What are the rating levels?
Keystone STARS has four levels, STAR 1 through STAR 4.
Certified, compliant programs enter at STAR 1.
STAR 2, 3 and 4 are the levels eligible for the 2026-27 Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Awards, whose maximums range from $750 for a STAR 2 family child care home to $7,500 for a STAR 4 child care center with a licensed capacity of 251 or more.
The top level also has shortcuts: as of July 1, 2026, NAEYC accreditation combined with a regular DHS certificate is an OCDEL-approved alternate pathway to STAR 4, and Head Start/Early Head Start grantees in good standing also earn STAR 4.
What staff credentials and training count toward a higher rating?
The per-level staff qualification criteria are the gap in our research: the staff criteria in Keystone STARS' 2023 Performance Standards were not retrievable when we checked, so we cannot say which credentials or training hours move a program from one STAR level to the next.
Two related points are established.
The Pennsylvania Director Credential is a voluntary credential, not a licensing requirement, and its minimum is an associate degree with 18 ECE credits, including 9 credits of Director Credential coursework from an approved college.
Separately, CQI Award funds may be spent on staff qualifications and professional development, so award money tied to a rating can go toward the staff credentials and training a program is building.
Read the Performance Standards OCDEL has in force before you assume any credential or training requirement at a given level.
Which observation tool is used?
Our research did not confirm which classroom observation or environmental assessment tool Keystone STARS uses, or how observations are scored at each level; the 2023 Performance Standards document was not reachable when we researched this page in October 2026.
The per-level criteria our research could not retrieve sit in the Performance Standards, so the edition OCDEL has in force, published through the Pennsylvania Key, is the document to check for how observations and scoring are handled.
A director pursuing STAR 4 through the NAEYC accreditation alternate pathway will also be working within NAEYC's own accreditation process, which our research does not cover here.
What incentives come with higher ratings, for the center and for staff?
Two incentives are tied directly to the rating.
For 2026-27, Keystone STARS Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Awards go to STAR 2, 3 and 4 programs, with maximums ranging from $750 for a STAR 2 family child care home to $7,500 for a STAR 4 child care center with a licensed capacity of 251 or more; allowable uses include staff qualifications and professional development.
Programs can also receive increased Child Care Works (CCW) subsidy payments based on their quality level, though our research did not confirm the current tiered add-on amounts.
One payroll item is separate from the rating system: Pennsylvania's 2025-26 Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention (CCSRR) Program provided up to $25 million, including a one-time $450 retention bonus for all qualified staff at eligible DHS-certified providers.
Applications closed January 29, 2026, and providers could also pay a one-time $450 recruitment bonus to qualified new hires; all CCSRR funds had to be spent or returned by June 30, 2026.
“Providers can receive increased Child Care Works (CCW) payments based on quality level.”
How do directors prepare for a rating?
The first rating arrives with certification: certified, compliant programs are welcomed to Keystone STARS at STAR 1.
From there, preparation runs through the current Keystone STARS Performance Standards — the document our research could not retrieve — so the practical first step is to get the edition OCDEL has in force from the Pennsylvania Key and read what STAR 2, 3 and 4 ask of staff, confirming the details with OCDEL.
On the staff-credential side, directors work with the PD Registry, which the Pennsylvania Key runs for OCDEL and which is used for Career Pathway placement, CDA vouchers and the Director Credential.
Directors aiming at the top level can also check the alternate pathways: NAEYC accreditation plus a regular DHS certificate as of July 1, 2026, and good-standing Head Start/Early Head Start grantees.
What is the PD Registry, and how does it fit in?
Pennsylvania's early childhood workforce registry is the PD Registry, run by the Pennsylvania Key for OCDEL and used for Career Pathway placement, CDA vouchers and the Director Credential.
For a director building staff qualifications, those are the registry's documented uses: Career Pathway placement, CDA vouchers and the Director Credential.
Our research did not establish a registry membership requirement tied to a STAR level, so confirm with OCDEL whether your rating path asks for it.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Pennsylvania licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state quality rating system (QRIS) series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Pennsylvania, see daycare director requirements in Pennsylvania.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Keystone STARS required for Pennsylvania childcare programs?
Keystone STARS is Pennsylvania's quality rating and improvement system, run by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
Certified, compliant programs are welcomed into it at STAR 1, so a program's first rating is tied to its DHS certification.
The materials our research could reach do not state whether a program must progress beyond STAR 1, so confirm current expectations with OCDEL or the Pennsylvania Key.
How much is the Keystone STARS CQI Award?
For 2026-27, CQI Awards go to STAR 2, 3 and 4 programs, with maximums that range from $750 for a STAR 2 family child care home to $7,500 for a STAR 4 child care center with a licensed capacity of 251 or more.
The award schedule sets maximums by program type and STAR level, and allowable uses include staff qualifications and professional development.
Do Keystone STARS programs get paid more for subsidized children?
Providers can receive increased Child Care Works (CCW) subsidy payments based on their quality level — that is the subsidy side of a higher STAR rating.
Our research did not confirm the current tiered add-on amounts, so check the current Child Care Works rate schedule with OCDEL or the Pennsylvania Key before you budget on a figure.
Does the Pennsylvania Director Credential raise your STAR level?
Our research cannot say: the per-level staff criteria in the 2023 Keystone STARS Performance Standards were not retrievable when we checked.
What is established is that the Pennsylvania Director Credential is voluntary rather than a licensing requirement, and that its minimum is an associate degree with 18 ECE credits, including 9 credits of Director Credential coursework from an approved college.
Read the current Performance Standards to see how credentials factor into STAR 2 through STAR 4.
Can NAEYC accreditation replace a STAR rating in Pennsylvania?
It works the other way around: NAEYC accreditation is one of the routes to the top rating, not a substitute for one.
As of July 1, 2026, NAEYC accreditation combined with a regular DHS certificate is an OCDEL-approved alternate pathway to a Keystone STAR 4, and Head Start/Early Head Start grantees in good standing also earn STAR 4.
What the alternate pathways mean for STAR 1 through STAR 3 is not established in our research, so confirm with OCDEL.
More Pennsylvania Resources
Sources
- Pennsylvania Key — Keystone STARS (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Pennsylvania Key — Keystone STARS CQI Award (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Pennsylvania Key — OCDEL Approved Alternate Pathways (effective July 1, 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Pennsylvania Key — Pennsylvania Director Credential (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Pennsylvania Key — Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention (CCSRR) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Pennsylvania Key — PD Registry (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).