Bright Beginnings Child Development Center, located at 20000 Old Scenic Hwy. in Zachary, is owned by Stacey Betz, who is also the director of the Quality Start Program.

Betz, along with several of her staff/teachers and some of the 78 children who attend the day care, joined city leaders, business owners and Chamber and community representatives for a ceremony on Feb. 8 celebrating the center's four-star rating.

Betz, a former substitute teacher who has worked in early childhood development since 2006, opened Bright Beginnings in 2011. The highest rating a center can have is five stars.

Betz has been working since Oct. 2011 to have the center assessed by the state’s Quality Start Child Care Rating System, which rates day cares in the areas of administrative practices, class observation and teacher training.

The assessment is voluntary but will become mandatory in 2015.

Those attending the ceremony included Betz, numerous staff, family members and friends, as well as Mayor David Amrhein, Kate MacArthur, Executive Director of Economic Development, and Greg MacDougall.

Betz says she hopes to move to a larger facility this year to accommodate more children. She is currently at capacity and has a waiting list until Aug. 2014.

Contact Bright Beginnings CDC at 225-570-8062 or e-mail Stacey Betz at staceybetz@brightbeginningscdc.com.