A Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

for Early Care and Education Settings

QRIS GOALS

• Increase overall quality

• Recognize the quality that already exists

• Improve consumer awareness

• Improve training and compensation of early care professionals

• Reward quality financially

• Focus on continuous quality improvement

• Increase access to higher quality programs for children using child care subsidies

Early childhood experiences set the stage for all future learning. Positive outcomes from investments in early childhood education depend on the quality of these experiences.

High quality care means that children are engaging in meaningful learning and play, guided by qualified caregivers in an enriched educational environment.

Quality Matters

A quality rating and

improvement system

(QRIS) is a method

to assess, improve,

and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings.

QRIS is voluntary

Definition

Research-based

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) developed ten criteria

Quality

Ratings are based on 4 performance standards– Education and professional development of

staff—documentation – Interactions—CLASS– Structure and ratios—documentation – Environment and Transition Practices—

Environmental Rating Scales and documentation

Rating

Mentors are assigned to help the program develop and implement a quality improvement plan.

Improvement

ApplySend in

documentation

Visit from rater

Star-rating given and

posted

Mentorship for 2 years

ystemS

2 YEAR CYCLE

Children with access to high quality child care programs are more likely to acquire the skills they need to enter kindergarten ready to succeed and adapt to new learning and social environments.

Outcome

Observation & ratingFeedback reportParent resourcesOn-site mentoringQuality improvement planQuarterly goals & incentivesAccess to scholarshipsNetworking opportunities

Benefits

16 states and the District of Columbia have adopted a QRIS. A majority of states are in the process of exploring, designing, or piloting a QRIS.

Trend

Participation is voluntaryRated on a 5 star scale of increasing quality Documentation review and on-site observations by reliable and highly trained Star Quality RatersAssessed on a biennial basisFor center-based programs; a process for home-based programs is in developmentPiloted in both public and private programs in over 13 communities statewideRated on 4 performance standards

Virginia Star Quality Initiative

A Brief History

Designed to test the standard, not to rate programs

Designed to test the process of rater selection, training, assignment, oversight, and reporting

Goals of Phase I2007-2008

To expand the improved rating process into more communities, rating 350 classrooms

To include toddler classrooms for a more holistic program ratings

To begin assigning stars and posting star ratings

To standardize the mentoring process across communities

Smart Beginnings/VECF agree to house the “hub” and added the VA Star Quality Initiative to their website

TTAC contributed financially to the training of raters and mentors

The Goals of Phase II2008-2009

To continue to expand the rating process into more communities

To train a group of Master Star Trainers

To train more raters and mentors

Automate processes

Increase public awareness

The Goals of Phase III2009-2010

Pilot of a standard for family child care providers

Pilot a rating system for family child care centers

Pilot ratings for infant classrooms

Provide funding for ratings, quality improvement and mentoring at the state level

The Future

C LASS & ECERS-R

The standard

The process and procedure

Survived “rater boot camp”

Critical to avoid “drift”

Anchor raters

Buddy visits

Average of 90% reliable

Rigorous Training and Reliability

Ratersare

not Mentors!

•Site selected

•Site completes documentation for standards 1, 3, and 4. •Submits documentation forms to local coordinator

•Documents are reviewed.•Rater is assigned

•Rater and site sign a waiver of conflict of interest

•Rater contacts the site/program to confirm the 3-week window

•Rater observes one out of every 3 preschool and toddler classrooms at the site•Rater conducts continuous observation for 4-6 hours for each classroom

•Copy of Rater’s report is sent to the program in approximately 30 days.•Star Rating is posted on Smart Beginnings/VA Star Quality Initiative website

The Rating Process

•Program sites are assigned a Star Quality Mentor by their local coordinator

•Mentors provide technical assistance and•Along with the program director, develop a Quality Improvement Plan

•Mentors meet regularly with the program staff

•The goal is for the providers to demonstrably improve the program’s quality when the program is rated every 2 years

The Mentoring Process

Private licensed child

day centers (for-profit

and non-profit)

Private faith-based

preschools and other

preschools exempt from licensure

Public programs, like the Virginia

Preschool Initiative and Head Start

Participants

The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and the Virginia Office of Early Childhood Development work in partnership to serve as the hub and coordinate state-level activities for the Virginia Star Quality Initiative Local early childhood coalitions or organizations work with the hub to coordinate local activities, like mentoring

Partners

The QRIS Standards

Assessed by documentation

Part 1—Staff Education and Qualifications– Director– Teacher– Assistant Teacher

Part 2—Ongoing Training/Professional Development– Attending conferences– Participate in ECE association– Participate in mentoring program– Workshops– College courses

Standard 1: Education, Qualifications, and Training

Assessed by rater observations using the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) developed by the University of VirginiaMeasured across 3 domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional supportWeighted more than the other standards due to the strong correlation between high quality teacher-to-child and child-to-child interactions and positive child outcomes.

Standard 2: Interactions

Assessed by documentation collected by programs

Examines maximum class sizes and child to staff ratios

Differentiated by the age of the children served, from infants to school-age children

Standard 3:Structure

Assessed by rater observations using an Environment Rating ScaleSeparate scales for each age group: ECERS-R or ITERS-RAlso includes documentation of transition practices which may include:

parent meetingstransfer of recordsrelated professional development , program orientation for families

Standard 4: Environment and Instructions

Websites:

http://classobservation.com/

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ECERS/

http://smartbeginnings.org/

http://www.earlychildhood.virginia.gov/quality.html

http://nrckids.org/index.html

Resources