🏆 Ranked #1 in Centerburg & Mt Vernon · 7.4 / 10 overall
Awards Earned
#1 in Centerburg & Mt Vernon
Ranked #1 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This is the highest recognition we award in the city.
Best for Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.
Best Teachers
Earned the highest teacher quality score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension weighs staff tenure, qualifications, warmth reported in parent reviews, and consistency of care across classrooms.
Best Curriculum
Earned the highest curriculum score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.
Most Compassionate
Earned the highest compassion score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.
Best K-Ready
Earned the highest kindergarten-readiness score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension reflects pre-literacy, pre-math, and school-readiness preparation reported by parents and visible in the curriculum.
Full Ranking Detail
childcare
Centerburg Head Start is an Ohio Step Up To Quality Gold (5-star) rated, tuition-free Head Start preschool program at 119 S. Preston St. in Centerburg serving 3- to 5-year-old children from income-eligible Knox County families. The program offers both half-day school-year and full-day full-year options, with daily nutritious meals, a Conscious Discipline behavioral approach, and comprehensive supports including health and developmental screenings, family advocacy services, and IEP-prioritized enrollment for children with disabilities. A structured kindergarten transition plan and rich calendar of family events and field trips support school readiness. The program is limited to preschool-age children and does not serve infants or toddlers.
Safety8.0
Curriculum8.0
Art / Music7.0
Infant care5.0
Kindergarten readiness8.0
Teacher quality8.0
Compassion8.0
Management8.0
Culture7.0
Extracurriculars7.0
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Head Start preschool for ages 3-5 with a well-rounded curriculum and a Conscious Discipline approach.
Programs & activities: Health and developmental screenings with referrals, family advocacy services, parent/family events, field trips, and a formal kindergarten transition plan.
What sets it apart: Step Up to Quality Gold Rating. Free preschool (income eligibility required) serving all of Knox County. Nutritious breakfast and lunch provided. Class hours 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; center hours 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Children must be 3 by August 1 and not yet 5; foster, homeless, and SNAP-eligible families qualify; children with IEPs receive enrollment priority.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
🏆 For Center Directors
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#1 in Centerburg & Mt Vernon
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Centerburg Head Start -->
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">#1 in Centerburg & Mt Vernon</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Ranked #1 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This is the highest recognition we award in the city.</span>
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</a>
Best for Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Centerburg Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/centerburg-mt-vernon/centerburg-head-start/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-safety.jpg" alt="Best for Safety - Centerburg Head Start - Centerburg & Mt Vernon, OH" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best for Safety</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest safety score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Teachers
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Centerburg Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/centerburg-mt-vernon/centerburg-head-start/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-teacherq.jpg" alt="Best Teachers - Centerburg Head Start - Centerburg & Mt Vernon, OH" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Teachers</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest teacher quality score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension weighs staff tenure, qualifications, warmth reported in parent reviews, and consistency of care across classrooms.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Curriculum
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Centerburg Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/centerburg-mt-vernon/centerburg-head-start/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-curriculum.jpg" alt="Best Curriculum - Centerburg Head Start - Centerburg & Mt Vernon, OH" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best Curriculum</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest curriculum score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension evaluates structured learning, developmental programming, and how well daily activities prepare children for each stage.</span>
</span>
</a>
Most Compassionate
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Centerburg Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/centerburg-mt-vernon/centerburg-head-start/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-compassion.jpg" alt="Most Compassionate - Centerburg Head Start - Centerburg & Mt Vernon, OH" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Most Compassionate</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest compassion score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best K-Ready
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Centerburg Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/centerburg-mt-vernon/centerburg-head-start/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="display:flex;align-items:flex-start;gap:16px;padding:18px;background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #EDD97A;border-radius:10px;max-width:420px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">
<img src="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/badges/dim-kinder.jpg" alt="Best K-Ready - Centerburg Head Start - Centerburg & Mt Vernon, OH" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:8px;flex-shrink:0;" loading="lazy">
<span>
<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">Best K-Ready</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest kindergarten-readiness score in Centerburg & Mt Vernon. This dimension reflects pre-literacy, pre-math, and school-readiness preparation reported by parents and visible in the curriculum.</span>
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</a>
This recognition is awarded independently by Creative Minds Montessori based on publicly available parent reviews and public records. Centers do not pay for or request these rankings. Scores reflect editorial synthesis of verified parent experience — not center marketing materials. Rankings are updated periodically as new reviews are analyzed.
