Quality rated:Richmond Hill Montessori Preschool recently became the first child-care center in Bryan County to become Quality Rated.
A program of the state Department of Early Care and Learning, Quality Rated is a voluntary program that allows child-care providers to demonstrate their quality of care.
A participating program has to meet standards that exceed the state’s licensing requirements. Programs are awarded one, two or three stars. Stars are awarded based on a combination of points gathered from independent observation and a portfolio that demonstrates that the program meets standards above and beyond what state licensing requires.
Montessori Preschool received a two-star rating.
For more information on Quality Rated and to find a Quality Rated program, go to qualityrated.org or decal.ga.gov.In September 2011, Richmond Hill Montessori received NAEYC National Accreditation.

State jobless rate up to 7.8 percent
The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 7.8 percent, up four-tenths of a percentage point from 7.4 percent in June. The rate in July of last year was 8.3 percent.
There were 4,098,400 jobs in Georgia in July, which is 12,800 fewer than in June, with the bulk of the loss in local government educational services.