🏆 Ranked #1 in Paulding & Scott · 6.7 / 10 overall
Awards Earned
#1 in Paulding & Scott
Ranked #1 overall across all 11 quality dimensions among every licensed childcare center in Paulding & Scott. This is the highest recognition we award in the city.
Best for Safety
Earned the highest safety score in Paulding & Scott. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.
Best Teachers
Earned the highest teacher quality score in Paulding & Scott. 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 Paulding & Scott. 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 Paulding & Scott. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.
Best Infant Care
Earned the highest infant care score in Paulding & Scott. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.
Full Ranking Detail
childcare
Nocac Paulding Head Start operates as a federally granteed Head Start program from a licensed facility in Paulding, serving income-eligible families with children ages 3-5 (and infants/toddlers through Early Head Start). Run by the Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission since 1965, the program holds SUTQ Gold status—Ohio's highest quality designation—and provides free comprehensive early childhood services including medical, dental, mental health, and developmental screenings; individualized curriculum based on Growing Great Kids philosophy; healthy family-style meals via the Child and Adult Care Food Program; and parent partnership training and support. The center maintains a strong community reputation reflected in a 92% recommendation rating on NOCAC's Facebook presence. Enrollment requires income-eligibility (100% federal poverty level, foster, homeless, or public assistance), and the absence of location-specific parent reviews limits independent verification of site-level experience.
Safety7.0
Curriculum8.0
Art / Music6.0
Infant care5.0
Kindergarten readiness7.0
Teacher quality8.0
Compassion7.0
Management7.0
Culture5.0
Extracurriculars7.0
Programs & curriculum
Curriculum & approach: Uses the Growing Great Kids curriculum with an emphasis on parent partnership, treating parents as primary educators. Philosophy centers on children feeling safe and secure, loved and valued, curious and capable.
Programs & activities: Educational and school readiness activities; indoor and outdoor learning in licensed facilities; medical, dental, mental health, developmental, language and literacy screenings; social interaction and problem-solving activities; parent trainings, GED assistance, and family support referrals.
What sets it apart: Head Start / Early Head Start serving ages 3-5 and infants/toddlers for income-eligible families (100% federal poverty level, foster, homeless, or public assistance). Provides healthy homemade family-style meals via the Child and Adult Care Food Program; centers licensed by Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services; 10% of enrollment reserved for children with diagnosed disabilities; serves Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, and Williams counties.
Recognition of Excellence — Website Badge
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#1 in Paulding & Scott
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Nocac Paulding Head Start -->
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<strong style="display:block;font-size:15px;color:#1A1A18;margin-bottom:5px;">#1 in Paulding & Scott</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 Paulding & Scott. This is the highest recognition we award in the city.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best for Safety
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Nocac Paulding Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/paulding-scott/nocac-paulding-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 - Nocac Paulding Head Start - Paulding & Scott, 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 Paulding & Scott. Our safety dimension weighs inspection history, deficiency records, and parent-reported safety culture across reviews.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Teachers
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Nocac Paulding Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/paulding-scott/nocac-paulding-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 - Nocac Paulding Head Start - Paulding & Scott, 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 Paulding & Scott. 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: Nocac Paulding Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/paulding-scott/nocac-paulding-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;">
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<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 Paulding & Scott. 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: Nocac Paulding Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/paulding-scott/nocac-paulding-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 - Nocac Paulding Head Start - Paulding & Scott, 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 Paulding & Scott. This dimension captures how families describe staff empathy, how concerns are handled, and the emotional environment of the center.</span>
</span>
</a>
Best Infant Care
<!-- Recognition of Excellence: Nocac Paulding Head Start -->
<a href="https://creativemindsmontessori.com/US-wide-childcare-preschool-rankings/ohio/major-cities/paulding-scott/nocac-paulding-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-infant.jpg" alt="Best Infant Care - Nocac Paulding Head Start - Paulding & Scott, 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 Infant Care</strong>
<span style="font-size:13px;color:#4A4A46;line-height:1.5;">Earned the highest infant care score in Paulding & Scott. This dimension focuses on caregiver ratios, responsiveness, feeding and sleep routines, and parent feedback specific to infant rooms.</span>
</span>
</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.
