Meet Nicole Looper, director of Nelson Mandela Early Childhood Development Center in Omaha, Nebraska. When Nelson Mandela Elementary expanded into early childhood programming, Nicole made sure the new program would implement high-quality practices by enrolling in Step Up to Quality. Learn more about Nelson Mandela ECDC’s journey to a Step 5 rating.

What inspired you to work in the early childhood field?

When I was attending Langston University for business, I saw children of all ages walking across the campus for its Early Childhood Laboratory School. After interning in an office and discovering that cubicle work wasn’t for me, I decided to check out the lab. The teacher at that time was very focused on stretching young children’s brains, and I fell in love with how she approached teaching and decided to pursue the early childhood field. I have worked in various centers and schools, and I helped start the early childhood program at Nelson Mandela Elementary seven years ago.

What is the child care philosophy of Nelson Mandela Early Childhood Development Center?

Our child care philosophy is very simple: We aim to create a pathway of excellence for our youngest learners. We believe in partnering with families to support the learning of our scholars. In our center, we emphasize three key concepts: engage, learn and grow. By focusing on these three areas, we foster a love of learning and curiosity. We refer to all our students as scholars to reinforce the idea that they are lifelong learners.

How did you learn about Step Up to Quality? Why did you decide to join?

I’ve known about Step Up to Quality since it first launched in 2014, so when I moved into my role at Nelson Mandela ECDC, I was very adamant about joining the program. I knew it would help measure quality not only for our families but also for interested teachers and parents.

How does it feel to have achieved a Step 5 rating?

We are so excited about it. Over the last two years, we were at Step 4, and we’re over the moon to have achieved a Step 5 rating.

In what ways has Step Up to Quality helped boost the quality of child care practices at Nelson Mandela Early Childhood Development Center? What has your team learned and implemented?

I liked that the program is outlined to show areas of practices through a variety of curriculum. It gave us a good outline for reinforcing best practices and checklists to help us think bigger and adapt quality to how we do things at our center. Step Up to Quality helps break down these research-based practices and relates them to your program to make the process more manageable.

I’ve loved the program’s Go NAPSACC opportunity to reinforce good nutrition, physical movement, and healthy screen time and technology use.

What words of encouragement do you have for providers considering joining Step Up to Quality or are still working through the steps?

Just start and keep going. No matter what level you’re at, keep going and don’t stop. Whether you’re in a center or a family child care home, everyone’s environment looks different, but Step Up to Quality can adapt to what you think is best for you and your program. We’re all helping boost the quality of care for young learners, and that’s something that should be recognized and celebrated.