Venice Star Providers
Venice area child care providers who achieve a three, four or five star level are exceeding the basic requirements for child care and are providing quality early learning environments for the children of Sarasota County.
Providers who achieve a four or five star level are providing and maintaining high levels of quality child care. Providers who achieve a three star level are providing consistently good quality child care in all areas. Providers who achieve a two star level are recognized for providing quality above state licensing requirements and have demonstrated that they are actively taking steps to improve quality. Providers who achieve a one star level meet basic licensing standards but as part of the program are invested in pursuing steps to improve quality.
All parents should visit at least 3 different sites to determine the best fit for their child. This guide is one tool to help with that process and parents should discuss with the provider their respective strengths and areas for improvement noted in their star level report.
Note: Gold Seal Certified sites are awarded a plus (+)
Not every child care provider is listed on the Look for the Stars website. Some reasons a provider may not be listed include:
- Provider chose not to participate
- Provider wanted to participate, but did not have the opportunity to participate this year
- Provider was assessed but chose to opt out of participation
- Provider has a Class 1 licensing violation within the past year and is ineligible for participation this year
Parents can contact the Early Learning Coalition’s Look for the Stars line for information on why a provider is not on the list at 941.556.1600 ext. 229 or mail@earlylearningcoalitionsarasota.org.
Child Care Resource and Referral is a source of information on resources available for parents and can also provide a personalized list of child care options based on parents’ individual needs. including ages served, hours of operation, program enhancements, and other program information. Contact Child Care Resource and Referral at 941.556.1600 ext. 116 or mail@earlylearningcoalitionsarasota.org.
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) website is another resource, with a feature that allows parents to search for child care provider based on specific criteria.
Click the ▼ icon or Learn More for more information about a provider, where available.
Facilities that are significantly close to achieving the next star level have been awarded a half star.
Name
Star Level
Address / Telephone (Click for Map)
Name, Star Level, and Address / Telephone (Click for Map)
Children First – Venice
Children First Inc., is a non-profit organization that serves Sarasota County’s most vulnerable children, birth to five years of age, and their families. Our ratios are low and our staff is highly educated. Most have a degree or are in the process of obtaining their degree in Early Childhood Education.
Christ Methodist Child Development Center was established in 1990 in recognition of the need for a safe, loving and fun learning environment for children. We believe in the individual rights of children and learning through hands-on-experience.
Epiphany Early Childhood Center
Located on downtown Venice Island, our preschool is an integral part of Epiphany Cathedral School serving prekindergarten – 8th grade. It is an accredited National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Our focus is faith, literacy and character education. Teachers hold bachelors degrees, masters degrees and are State of Florida certified.
Grace United Methodist Preschool
Grace Preschool is an Accredited, Gold Seal, Top Rated school; Serving children 12 Months-5 Years/VPK. With our dedicated and experienced team of educators, well designed classrooms, and large age-appropriate playgrounds, parents can be confident they’ve chosen an excellent school to meet their needs.
Sky Family YMCA Venice
YMCA programs provide caring role models and age appropriate experiences that nurture children’s growth, encourage positive behavior and help develop a strong sense of right and wrong. We use a learning center approach that engages children in developmentally appropriate experiences through PLAY, emphasizing the four key developmental areas: cognitive, social, emotional, and physical.
St. Mark’s Preschool
St. Mark’s Preschool provides nurturing care and educational learning for children 9 weeks – 5 years in the preschool plus before/afterschool care for children in Kindergarten- 5th grade. Additionally we enroll 4 year olds in free VPK (voluntary PreKindergarten) classes. We are family focused, offering fulltime and part-time openings year round.
Venice Christian School, P S, Inc
AVCS ranges from PreK – 12th grade. We offer before and after school programs. We are an accelerated school with a strong emphasis on academics and Christian “training for eternity”. Our centers based preschool offers a range of enrollment choices as is fully accredited through ACSI. Parent involvement is highly encouraged.
We are a Christian Preschool that takes pride in making our families feel like family. We emphasize low student/teacher ratios to ensure individual attention. Our U.M.A.P. and Gold Seal accredited program offers our 2 through 5 year old children full, part time, or V.P.K. enrollment with flexible schedules.