1

DreamB IGfor our youngest children

Final Report

California Early Learning Quality Improvement System Advisory Committee

Table of ConTenTs

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS >>> i i i

BACKGROUND >>> p.1What is a Quality Rating and Improvement System?

Why Develop a Quality Rating and Improvement System?

Legislative Charge

Goals of California’s Early Learning Quality Rating and Improvement System

Defining High Quality Programs: Key Features and Outcomes

WHAT ARE THE KEY POLICY OPPORTUNIT IES? >>> p.7Address Concerns in Health, Safety, and Quality Review Processes and Phase In Appropriate Oversight for the Early Learning and Care System

Provide Objective Ratings of Programs for Families and Policymakers by Establishing Unified State-wide Standards

Pilot the Quality Review System and Design Incentives to Support the System.

Strengthen the Links between Early Educator Professional Development and Effective Teaching to Improve Child Outcomes

Establish a Statewide Evaluation and Research System to Determine the Impact of Early Learning and Care Programs on Child Outcomes

PROPOSED DESIGN C ALIFORNIA’S QRIS >>> p.12The Quality Rating Structure

Elements of the Rating Structure: • RatiosandGroupSizeforCentersandFamilyChildCareHomes• TeachingandLearning• FamilyInvolvement• StaffEducationandTraining• ProgramLeadership

Preventing Redundancy in Program Reviews

PROPOSED DESIGN OF SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT >>> p.22Technical Assistance to Help Programs Improve

Workforce Development to Promote Effective Teachers

Strategies to Encourage Family and Community Involvement

alifornia Department of Educationugust 2010

i

CA

ii

Data Systems to Track Progress

Initial Work to Develop a Financial Model for California’s QRIS

HOW THE QRIS WILL WORK >>> p.30Pilot Projects to Field Test the QRIS

Participation and Phase-In

Oversight and Conduct of Ratings and Reviews

NEXT STEPS FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH THE QRIS >>> p.33

APPENDIXES

Appendix A: CAEL QIS Advisory Committee Process and Timeline

Appendix B: Expanded Assessment of California’s Early Learning and Care Infrastructure

Appendix C: Local Early Learning Quality Improvement Models in California

Appendix D: Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Other States

Appendix E: Expanded Description of the Rating Structure and Support Services for Quality Improvement

Appendix F: Draft Matrix of Current Early Childhood Education Data

Appendix G: Matrix of Early Learning and Care Programs

Appendix H: Guide to the “Family Involvement” Element of California’s Quality Rating and Improvement System

Appendix I: CAEL QIS Engagement Subcommittee: Developing a Strategic Communications Plan

Appendix J: Report of the Finance and Incentives, Including Funding Model, Subcommittee

GLOSSARY

REFERENCES

iii

aCknowledgmenTs

Dream Big for Our Youngest ChildrenreflectstheworkoftheCaliforniaEarlyLearningQualityImprovementSystem(CAELQIS)AdvisoryCommitteemembers;earlylearningandcareprogramstaff;childcarelicensingofficials;countysuperintendentsofeducation;localchildcareplanningcouncilandchildcareresourceandreferralleaders;First5Californiaandcountycommissionrepresentatives;highereducationrepresentatives;CaliforniaDepartmentofEducation(CDE)staff;CaliforniaComprehensiveCenter(CACC)atWestEdstaff;andnationallyknownexpertsandcontentspecialistswhosharedtheirknowledgeaboutthecomponentsofqualityearlylearn-ingandcareprogramsandtheimplementationofqualityratingandimprovementsystems.FinancialsupportforCAELQISwasprovidedbyFirst5California,theDavidandLucilePackardFoundation,andtheCDE.Thereportalsoreflectstheinputofover5000participantsattheAdvi-soryCommitteeandsubcommitteemeetings,aswellaspublichearings.ParticipatingagenciesandorganizationsareincludedinAppendixA.Weappreciatethemajorcontributionsofexper-tise,time,resources,andcommitmentfromalltheindividualswhoarerepresentedinthiswork.

iv

CAEL Q IS Adv isory Commit tee Members

TheCAELQISAdvisoryCommitteeisabroadlybased,diversegroupwiththefollowing13mem-bersappointedinaccordancewithstatute:

L anguage f rom Senate Bi l l 16 29, Chapter 307 Commit tee Members

(1) The Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee

1.JackO’Connell,Superintendent;anddesignees:GenoFloresandGavinPayne,ChiefDeputySuperinten-dentsofPublicInstruction;andCamilleMaben,Director,ChildDevelopmentDivision

(2) The Secretary of Education or his or her designee 2.BonnieReissandGlenThomas,SecretariesofEducation,anddesignees:KathrynRadtkey-Gaither,UndersecretaryofEducation;andAnneMcKinney,DeputySecretaryofEducation

(3) The President pro Tempore of the Senate or his or her designee

3.DaveGordon,Superintendent,SacramentoCountyOfficeofEducation

(4) The Speaker of the Assembly or his or her designee 4.JoanBuchanan,AssemblyMember;SarahTomlin-son,designee

(5) The Director of the Department of Finance or his or her designee

5.AnaMatosantos,Director;JeannieOropeza,ProgramBudgetManager,designee

(6) The Director of the Department of Social Ser-vices or his or her designee

6.JohnA.Wagner,Director;VenusGarth,BranchChief,designee

(7) The Governor shall appoint two representatives 7.DennisVicars,ChiefExecutiveOfficer,HumanSer-vicesManagementCorporation/PACE

8.CeliaC.Ayala,ChiefExecutiveOfficer,LosAngelesUniversalPreschool

(8) The Chairperson of the California Children and Families Commission or his or her designee

9.JoeMunso,Chairperson;KrisPerry,ExecutiveDirector,First5California,designee

(9) The Senate Committee on Rules shall appoint two representatives from the early care and education community, one who is a program administrator of a child development program funded by the department, and another who is a caregiver for infants and toddlers

10.CliffMarcussen,ExecutiveDirector,Options–AChildCareandHumanServicesAgency

11.ConsueloEspinosa,Infant/ToddlerSpecialist,WestEd

(10) The Speaker of the Assembly shall appoint two representatives, one from the early care and education community who has experience with English learners, and one who is a local educa-tional agency teacher who teaches kindergarten

12.YolieFlores,BoardMember,LosAngelesUnifiedSchoolDistrict(resignedJune2010)

13.TobyBoyd,KindergartenTeacher,ElkGroveUnifiedSchoolDistrict

v

CAEL Q IS Subcommit tee Chairs and Vice–Chairs

Design Ideas for Licensing, Quality Rating, and Improvement Systems

» DennisVicars,Chair,andConsueloEspinosa,Vice-Chair

Workforce and Professional Development and Incentives

» DaveGordon,Chair

Family Involvement and Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy

» CeliaAyala,Chair,andTobyBoyd,Vice-Chair

Data Systems for Program Improvement and Research

» KathrynRadtkey-Gaither,Chair,andTobyBoyd,Vice-Chair

Finance and Incentives, Including Funding Model

» CliffMarcussen,Chair,andJeannieOropeza,Vice-Chair

Cal i fo rn ia Depar tment of Educat ion Staf f

Lead Consultant:RobertaPeck

Support Staff:SimonMarquezandKayStinson

CDE Lead Staf f for CAEL Q IS Subcommit tees

MargaretBakalian

LauraBridges

GailBrodie

TomCole

NancyDeArmond

CeceliaFisher-Dahms

GregHudson

MargoHunkins

SilviaGarcia

PamGhiglieri

CindyGrayson

SuzanneKwong

AmandaLopez

FrancisLouie

CarolynLoveridge

ShellieMacColl

LynnMartin

TomMogan

PatyMunoz

SandyPatitucci

KarinPeterson

NancyRemley

DesiSoto

JackStroppini

AliceTrathen

KimWells

MikeZito

vi

Exper t Consu l tants

AbbyCohen,NationalChildCareInformationandTechnicalAssistanceCenter

LynnKaroly,RANDCorporation

SusanMuenchow,AmericanInstitutesforResearch(AIR)

MarcyWhitebook,FranKipnis,andLeaAustin,CenterfortheStudyofChildCareEmployment,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley

GailZellman,RANDCorporation

Lead Write rs

RobertaPeck,CDE

SusanMuenchow,AIRasapartnerintheCaliforniaComprehensiveCenter(CACC)atWestEd

Editor

JaniceLowenAgee,CACCatWestEd

Suppor t

ChanelBarkley,CACCatWestEd

ScottSargent,CACCatWestEd

Researchers

JenniferAnthony,AIRaspartneroftheCACCatWestEd

MelissaArellanes,AIRaspartneroftheCACCatWestEd

JessicaErnandes,AIRaspartneroftheCACCatWestEd

1

final epoRTbaCkgRound

R

ThechargeoftheCaliforniaEarlyLearningQualityImprovementSystemAdvisoryCommittee(hereafterreferredtoasthe“AdvisoryCommittee”)istodevelopasystemicplantopromoteschoolreadinessandotherpositivechildoutcomesbyimprovingthequalityofearlylearningandcareprogramsforchildrenfrombirthtofiveyearsold.Asrequiredbylegislation(SenateBill[SB]1629,Chapter307,Statutesof2008),Dream Big for Our Youngest ChildrendescribestheAdvisoryCommittee’srecommendationsforanewqualityratingstructureforearlylearningandcarepro-grams,aswellasnecessaryqualityimprovementsupportsystemsacrossthebroadarrayofearlylearningandcareprograms.

What Is a Qua l i ty Rat ing and Improvement System?

Aqualityratingandimprovementsystem(QRIS)isauniformsetofratings,graduatedbylevelofquality,toassessandimproveearlylearningandcareprograms.Objectiveratingshelpfamiliesidentifyprograms,guideprovidersinmakingimprovements,andgivepolicymakersabasisfordesigningtechnicalassistance.AcomprehensiveQRISprovidesworkforcedevelopment,finan-cialincentives,andothersupportstoimprovequality.Twenty-threestateshavealreadyadoptedthesesystemsstatewide,andCaliforniaisoneofatleast20morestatesintheprocessofplan-ningsuchsystems.CaliforniaisaleaderinproposingaQRISthatpurposefullylinksimprove-mentsinprogramqualitywithchildoutcomes,includingschoolreadiness.

2

Why Deve lop a Qua l i ty Rat ing and Improvement System?

Morethanamillionchildrenagesbirthtofivecurrentlyattendsometypeofout-of-homeearlylearningandcaresettinginCalifornia.Whatisstrikingisthat,accordingtotheLegislativeAna-lyst’sOffice(LAO),nostatewidesystemmeasuresthequalityoftheseearlylearningandcareprograms(LAO,2007);andeventhebasiclicensingsystemhasout-of-datestandardsandoneofthelowestinspectionratesinthecountry.

Quality Programs Improve Outcomes for Children, Including Reducing the Achievement Gap

Thegoodnewsisthatqualityearlylearningandcareprogramscanhelpimprovechildren’sreadi-nessandschoolsuccess,withhighertestscores,betterattendance,andreducedgrade-levelretention(Reynoldsetal.,2007;Karoly&Bigelow,2005).Otherlastingbenefitsincludehigherratesofschoolcompletion,greaterlikelihoodofattendingcollege,andgreaterlifetimeearnings

(Rameyetal.,2000;Lally,Mangione,&Honig,1988).Byreducinggraderetention,useofspecialeducationandwelfare,andinvolvementincrime,thesequalityprogramsareestimatedtosavefrom$4to$17foreverydollarinvested(Reyn-oldsetal.,2007;Schweinhart,2004;Karoly&Bigelow,2005).

Lastingpositiveimpactshavebeenfoundforlarge-scalepublicearlylearningandcarepro-gramsaswellasforintensiveprogramsimple-mentedonasmallscale(Piantaetal.,2009).Basedonsuchfindings,Nobellaureateecono-mistJamesHeckman(2006)concludesthatearlyinterventionprogramsfordisadvantagedchildrenareabetterinvestmentthanremedialprogramsforolderchildren.Ofparticularinter-est,giventhedemographicsinCalifornia,isthathigh-qualitypreschoolprogramshavebeenfoundtobenefitespeciallythoseLatinochildrenwhosemothershavelittleeducation,havelowincomes,andarelinguisticallyisolated(Karolyetal.,2008).

Whilethebenefitsarelessdramaticforchildrenfrommoreadvantagedbackgrounds,attend-ingaqualitypreschoolprogramisassociatedwithhigherachievementinelementaryschoolforchildreninallincomegroups(Gormley&Phillips,2005).Theeducationalbenefitsofquality

• Californiaishometoapproximately3.2millionchildrenagesbirththroughfiveyearsold(Chil-drenNow,2010).

• Fifty-twopercentofthebabiesborninCaliforniain2008wereLatino,27percentwhite,6percentAsian,and5percentblack(CaliforniaDepartmentofPublicHealth,2008).

• Englishlearnersconstitute40percentofCalifor-nia’skindergartners(CDE,2009).

• HalfofthechildrenbirthtoagefiveinCaliforniaarelikelytoqualifyforfreeorreduced-pricelunchwhentheyenterkindergarten(CDE,2009).

• MorethanhalfofthethirdgradersinCaliforniadonotmeetstateeducationalstandardsinEng-lishlanguagearts,andonechildinthreedoesnotmeetstandardsinmathematics(CDE,2010).

3

programsfornon-disadvantaged,preschool-agechildrenaresubstantial,perhaps75percentaslargeasthoseforlow-incomechil-dren(Piantaetal.,2009).Qualityinfantandtoddlercare,whetherprovidedexclusivelybyparentsorbyothercaregivers,influencesbraindevelopmentandhencelaysthefounda-tionforallfuturelearning(Shonkoff&Phil-lips,2000).

Only Quality Programs Improve Child Outcomes

However,onlyqualityprogramsproducetheseimprovedchildoutcomes.Thereisnoevidencethattheaveragepreschoolprogramproducesbenefitsinlinewithwhatthebestprogramsproduce(Piantaetal.,2009).Poor-qualityprogramsmayactuallyharmchil-dren,leavealreadydisadvantagedchildrenfurtherbehind,andtherebyexacerbatetheachievementgap(NationalInstituteofChildHealthandHumanDevelopment,2002;Shonkoff&Phillips,2000;Gilliam&Zigler,2000,2004;Phillips,2010).

Shortfalls in Program Quality Affect A ll Source:CenterontheDevelopingChildatHarvardUniversity(2007).

Income Groups A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy: Using Evidence to ImOutcomes in Learning, Behavior, and Health for Vulnerable Children.

Unfortunately,shortfallsinthequalityofearlylearningandcareprogramscurrentlyaffectchildreninallincomegroupsinCalifornia.Basedononsiteobservationsof251centersservingpreschool-agechildreninthestate,thequalityofservicesismixed,atbest(Karolyetal.,2008),withproblemsrangingfromalarmingdeficitsinbasichealthandsafetytoshortfallsinteachingandlearning:

• Ifqualityismeasuredbythekindofinstructioninthinkingandlanguageskillsthataremostcloselylinkedtoschoolreadiness,85 to 90 percent of the disadvantaged children shown to derive the greatest benefit from a quality preschool program are not enrolled in such a program.

• Programsservingallincomegroupsfallshortonmeasuresofthequalityofteacherinstruction.

Inanearlierstudyusingsimilarmethodology,researchersfoundthatnearlyhalfoftheinfantandtoddlerprogramsprovidedpoorqualitycare(Helburn,1995).Whiletheresearchwascon-ductedsomeyearsago,itremainsoneofthemostcomprehensivestudiesconductedtodateandincludesaCalifornia-basedsample.Notonlyweremanyoftheprogramsunsafe,butalsotheydidnot

Roots of the Achievement GapRootsoftheachievementgapstartlongbeforechildrenenterkindergarten.

Amajorindicatorforlaterschoolsuccessislanguageandearlyliteracydevelopment,anddisparitiesinearlyvocabularygrowthbetweenchildrenfromlowsocioeco-nomicstatus(SES)andhighSESfamiliescanmanifestthemselvesinchildrenasearlyas16monthsofage.

Differencesinlanguage,social,andpre-mathematicsskillsareapparentwhenchildrenenterkindergarten,andthechildrenwhostartschoolbehindtendtostaybehind(Cannon&Karoly,2007).

DisparitiesinEarlyVocabularyGrowth,PerSocioeconomicStatus

prove

Dispar i t ies in Ear ly Vocabulary Growth

0

12 16 20 24 28 32 36

100

200

400

600

1000

1200

Cum

ula

tive V

ocabula

ry

Age (months)

SES = Socio-Economic Status

High SES

Middle SES

Low SES

Source: Hart, B., & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.

4

providewarmandsensitivecareorbuildonthe“teachable”momentsthatoccureachday.

Thus,Californiaurgentlyneedstoimprovethequalityofearlylearningandcareprogramsettingsservingoveramillionchildrenbirthtoagefive,andtooffertechnicalassistanceandincentivesforimprove-mentby:1)developingaQRISthatbuildsonthefeaturesofourmosteffectiveprograms;and2)redesigningthequalityimprovementandsafetymoni-toringsystemsaffectingoneinthreechildrenbirthtoagefiveinCalifornia.

Leg is lat ive Charge

Abroadpartnershipcreatedthelegislationthatestablishedthe13-memberAdvisoryCommitteeandcalledforthecreationofaQRIS.ThelegislationwassponsoredbySenatorDarrellSteinberg,withprincipalcoauthorAssem-blyMemberDaveJones.Awiderangeofchildadvocacy,educational,andcivicgroupssupportedthelegislation,whichwassignedintolawbyGovernorArnoldSchwarzenegger.Morethan300organiza-tionsjoinedtheCAELQISdevelopmentprocessoverthepasttwoyears(seeAppendixA).

SB1629requirestheAdvisoryCommitteetoreporttotheLegislatureandtheGovernoronthefollowingfourtasksrelatedtothedevelopmentofaQRIS:

1. Anassessmentandanalysisoftheexistingearlycareandeducationinfrastructure,includingotherstateandlocalearlylearningqualityimprovementsystems

2. Thedevelopmentofanearlylearningqualityratingscaleforchilddevelopmentprograms,includingpreschoolaswellasprogramsforinfantsandtoddlers

3. Thedevelopmentofafundingmodelalignedwiththequalityratingscaleforchildcareanddevelopmentprograms

4. Recommendationsonhowlocal,state,federal,andprivateresourcescanbestbeutilizedtocom-plementastatewidefundingmodelaspartofacomprehensiveefforttoimprovethestate’schildcareanddevelopmentsystem

5

CAELQISbuildsontheworkthatStateSuperintendentofPublicInstructionJackO’Connell’sP-16Councilenvisionedin2007,whenitnotedthatanyefforttoclosetheachievementgapmustbeginwithasystemthatincludeshigh-qualitypreschoolandotherearlylearningandcareprograms.GovernorSchwarzenegger’sCommitteeonEducationExcellence(2008)calledforacomprehensiveearlychildhoodsystemasafoundationforschoolreform,statingthataculturethatputsstudentsfirstshouldstartwithitsyoungestchildren.

Californiansgivetheirbestfortheirchildren,asevidencedbytheheroeswhoprovideserviceswithoutthesupportofastatebudget,thechampionswhostrivetoprovidethebestpossiblepro-fessionaldevelopmentdespitefundingchallenges,andthevoterswhoapproveimprovementstoschoolprogramsandotheropportunitiesthatimpactourchildren’sfutures.CAELQISbuildsonthecommitment,expertise,andresourcesinourearlylearningandcareprograms–andthenproposesfurtherimprovementssowecanestablishconsistenthighqualityasweseektoexpandaccess.Inthisreport,theassessmentandanalysisoftheexistingearlylearningandcareinfrastructuresareaddressedin“WhatAretheKeyPolicyOpportunities?”andinAppen-dixesB,C,andD.“ProposedDesignofCalifornia’sQRIS”andAppendixEdescribetheproposeddesignfortheearlylearningqualityratingstructureandtheworkonthefundingmodel,withadditionalinformationontheresourcestocomplementthemodelprovidedinAppendixJ.

Goals of Ca l i fo rn ia ’s Ear ly Learn ing Qua l i ty Rat ing and Improvement System

ThemajorgoalofCalifornia’sQRISistoincreasethenumberofprogramsthathavethefeaturesshowntoimprovechilddevelopmentoutcomes,includingreadinessforschoolandsuccessinlife.TheQRISisamodelofcontinuousprogramimprovementthatwillbelinkedtochildoutcomesthroughpilotprojectsandongoingresearchandevaluation.Basedontheexperiencewithqualityearlylearningandcaresystemsinstatesandcommunitiesacrossthenation(Mitch-ell,2009),andwiththesupportofcurrentfederalpolicyandresourcesencouragingthedevelopmentofsuchsystems,aQRIShasthepotentialto:

• Effectivelyimprovechildoutcomesandreducetheschoolreadinessgapbyimprovingthequalityofearlylearningandcareprograms.

• Usestandardizedprogramassessmenttoolstoobjectivelyandconsistentlyrateearlylearningandcare,includingthequalityofteachereffectivenessandcaregiverinteractionwithyoungchildren,acrossthewidespanoflicensedcenterandlicensedhome-basedearlylearningandcaresettings.

• Provideobjectiveratingsofearlylearningandcaresettingstofamiliesinaclear,easy-to-understandformat.

• Increasefamilyandpublicawarenessofthecharacteristicsofearlylearningandcareprogramqualitythatpromotebetteroutcomesforchildren.

• Implementresearch-basedrecommendationsrelatedtoimprovementsinteacherpreparationandeffectivenessthataffectchilddevelopmentandschoolreadinessoutcomes.

• Serveasthebasisfortechnicalassistancetohelpprogramsimprove.

• Improveaccountabilityandtransparencyforpublicinvestments.

Def in ing H igh–Qua l i ty Programs: Key Features and Outcomes

AQRISdesignmustbeginwithadefinitionofhigh-qualityearlylearningandcare.Basedonsyn-thesesofmorethan40yearsofresearch(Zigler,Gilliam,&Jones,2006;Jacobson,2004;Peisner-Feinbergetal.,2000;Jorde-Bloom,1988),keyfeaturesofhigh-qualityprogramsthatimprovechildoutcomesforallchildreninclude:

• Intensiveeducation(e.g.,smallclasses,lowratios,regularattendance),whichensuresthatyoungchildrenreceiveconsistent,individualizedattentionoveranextendedperiodoftime

• Alearningenvironmentwithadequatephysicalspace,equipment,andmaterialsinwhichteach-ersinteractresponsivelywithchildrenandhelpdeveloptheirsocial-emotional,thinking,andlanguageskills

• Familyinvolvementandservicesprovidedinaculturallyandlinguisticallyresponsivemanner

• A“curriculum”orplanofactivitiesthatengagesyoungchildren,isbasedonresearchandage-appropriateexpectations,andisalignedwithstateeducationalpolicy

• Adequatenumbersofwell-trained,qualifiedstaff,withcompensationsufficienttolimitturnoverandpromotecontinuityofcare

• Commitmenttocontinuousqualityimprove-mentbasedonmeasuresofteacherperfor-manceandchildren’sprogress

• Programdirectorswhounderstandchilddevelopment;provideleadershipandrecruit,train,andsupportstaff;andmanagethefiscalandlegalresponsibilities

6

7

whaT aRe The key poliCy oppoRTuniTies?

BasedonitsassessmentofCalifornia’sexistingearlylearningandcareinfrastructure,theAdvi-soryCommitteeidentifiedseveralmajorpolicychangesneededtoraisemoreprogramstoalevelofqualitysufficienttopromoteschoolreadiness.Keyopportunitiesforpolicychangeincludethefollowing:

Address concerns in health, safety, and quality review processes and phase in appropriate oversight for the early learning and care system.

Californiacurrentlyhasmultipleearlylearningandcare“systems”administeredwithgreatvari-abilityinstandardsandfartoolittleoversight.

• Thestatehasthreeearlylearningandcare“systems”:Title22licensedfacilities,Title5state-contractedchilddevelopmentprograms,andthefederallyadministeredHeadStart,aswellasapubliclyfunded“non-system”oflicense-exemptcare.Onlytwoofthese“systems”(Title5andHeadStart)havestandardsthataredesignedtopromotechilddevelopmentorschoolreadiness.

• Publiclysupportedlicense-exemptcareisnotsubjecttoanymonitoringoreveninitialinspection;stateoversightislimitedtobackgroundandcriminalrecordchecksthroughtheTrustLineRegistry.

8

• Separateagenciesarechargedwithprogramoversight.TheDepartmentofSocialServices(DSS)administersTitle22licensing,theCDEconductsTitle5reviews,andthefederalgovernmentmonitorsHeadStart.

• WiththeexceptionofHeadStart,noneoftheseprogramsismonitoredorratedwithsufficientfrequencybytrained,objectivereviewerstoensurethatstandardsaremet.

Basedonarecentnationalstudyofoversightandregulation,California’sTitle22licensingsys-temranks46thinthenation(NationalAssociationofChildCareResourceandReferralAgencies[NACCRRA],2009).Only30percentofprogramsarerequiredtobeinspectedannuallyinCali-fornia,ascomparedto50to100percentinmoststates(DSS,2010;Karoly,2009);andcurrently,somelicensinginspectionsarebeingdelayedorhaltedduetobudgetconstraints.Asaresultofareductioninresources,DSSmaybeunableeventomeettherequirementtoconductthoroughinspectionsoffacilitieseveryfiveyears.Eachinspectorhasanaveragecaseloadof169settings,farmorethanthenationallyrecommendedratioof50:1(NACCRRA,2009).Toimprovethemoni-toringofhealthandsafetyincentersandfamilychildcarehomes,DSShasproposedanewcom-plianceprotocol.Thisprotocolwouldrestoreannualinspectionsofcentersandbiennialinspec-tionsoffamilychildcarehomesbyreducingthenumberofitemsassessedandraisinglicensurefeesby10percent.

California’slicensingstandardsneedtobeupdatedtoreflecteffectivepracticeandresearch.Comparedtonationallyrecommendedstandards,California’slicensingrequirementsarelenientinseveralimportantareas.Thecenterrequirementsallowconsiderablylarger-than-recommendedstaff-childratios,donotrequirestafftocompleteanyannualtraining,anddonotrequireanypost-secondarydegreeforleadteachers(NACCRRA,2009).Otherimportantissuesincludedevelopingacommondefinitionoftheagespanfor“infant,”changingthedefinitionof“toddler”to18to36months,recommendinghealthandsafetytrainingannually,anddevelopingappropriatenutritionrequire-mentsforfamilychildcarehomes.Title5standardsforstate-contractedchilddevelopmentpro-gramscomemuchclosertomeetingnationallyrecommendedstandards.However,asaresultofcutbacksinbudgetandstaffing,on-sitereviewsofTitle5programsbyCDEstaffarelimitedtourgentsituations;henceoversightisprimarilylimitedtoapaperreviewofprogramcompliance.

Inthisreport,theAdvisoryCommitteeproposesaqualityratingstructurethatintegratestheabovemultiplesetsofstandardsintoonecoherent,evidence-basedsystem.Toimprovethefre-quencyofreviewsandlinkprogramstotechnicalassistanceandotherqualityimprovementincentives,coordinationofcurrentlicensingandprogrammaticreviewswiththeQRISshouldbeexplored.Whileitisimportanttoseparateregulatoryactivitiesdesignedtoenforcecompliancefromtheprovisionoftechnicalassistance,somestreamlininginthemonitoringofhealth,safety,andqualityissuesisessential.

9

Provide objective ratings of programs for families and policymakers by establish-ing unified statewide quality standards.

Studiesshowparentsvaluehigh-qualitychildcare,buttheyoftendonotspotshortfalls(Barra-clough&Smith,1996;Wolfe&Scrivner,2004;Cryer,Tietze,&Wessels,2002).Familiesratedcentersnearlytwiceashighasdidtrainedassessorsonsuchkeyelementsashealth,safety,andstaff-childinteraction(Helburn,1995).Thesefindingshighlightaneedforeasilyaccessible,objec-tiveratingsaboutthesafety,health,andqualityoftheearlylearningtakingplaceintheseset-tingswherechildrenspendupto11hoursperday.

Thestatefundschildcareresourceandreferralprogramsineverycountytoprovideinformationtoparentsontherangeofservicesavailableandtipsonhowtolookforqualityprograms(Cali-fornia Education Code,Section8212).However,thereisnoobjectivequalityratingsystemuponwhichtobasetheinformationandreferrals.Parentsneedaccesstotheseratingstomakewisechoicesonbehalfoftheirchildrenandfamilies,andpolicymakersneedtheratingstoholdpro-gramsaccountableandtoinvestinqualityimprovementefforts.

Inthe“ProposedDesignofCalifornia’sQRIS,”theAdvisoryCommitteerecommendsasystemforstandardizedassessmentstoratetheearlylearningandcaresettings.Theinformationshouldbemadeavailabletofamiliesinaclear,easy-to-understandformat.Considerationshouldalsobegiventopostinglicensinginspectionfindingsandqualityratingsonlineforeasyparentaccess,asrecommendedbytheLAO(2007)andtheNACCRRA(2009).

Pilot the quality review system and design incentives to support the system.

Goodpolicydictatesconductingapilotoftheproposedqualityreviewsystembeforeattempt-ingstatewideimplementation.Participationwillbevoluntaryduringthepilotandtheini-tialperiodofstatewideimplementation.Themajornon-financialincentiveforaprivatelyfundedprogramtoparticipateisthepublicityassociatedwithmarketingahigh-qualityrating.However,virtuallyallstateswithaQRISalsoemployvariousfinancialincentivestoencourageprogramstoparticipateinthesystemandtohelpthemimprovetheirquality(seeAppendixD).Theseincentivesrangefromtieredreimbursementrates(highersubsidiesforpubliclyfundedprogramsthatmeethigherstandards),totaxcreditsforparentswhochoosehigh-qualitysettings,toprogramgrantstosupportqualityimprovements.

Unfortunately,inCalifornia,currentreimbursementratesforstate-fundedprogramsprovidelittlefinancialincentivetoimprovequality.Infact,thestatecurrentlyhaswhatmightbecalledareversetieredreimbursementsystem,typicallyofferinghighervoucherpaymentsforprogramsthatareonlyrequiredtomeetminimallicensingstandardsthanforstate-contractedprogramsthatareheldtohigherTitle5childdevelopmentprogramstandards.InCalifornia,license-exemptproviders,whoarenotrequiredtomeetanystandards,havetypicallyreceivednearlythesameper-childreimbursementaslicensedfamilychildcareproviders,therebyprovidinglittleincentiveforhome-basedproviderstoseeklicensure.Aprovisioninthe2011statebudgetlimitslicense-exemptprovidersto80percentofthe

licensedfamilychildcarerate,butCaliforniastillprovideshigherpaymentsforlicense-exemptprovid-ers,aswellaslessoversight,thandomanyotherstates.Somestatesrequireatleastinitialvisitstolicense-exemptprovidersreceivingpublicpayments,whileothersdonotprovideanysubsidiestounli-censedsettings(NationalChildCareInformationandTechnicalAssistanceCenter[NCCIC],2008).

TheAdvisoryCommitteereportprovidessomepreliminaryinformationonthecostofvariousincentivesinotherstateswithQRISs,butestimatingthecostandefficacyofthedifferentincen-tivesinCaliforniawillrequirefurtherworkbestconductedaspartoftheproposedpilotprojectsdescribedlaterinthisreport.However,anurgentneedexiststocorrectthecurrentfinancialdis-incentivesinpubliclyfundedearlylearningandcareprograms.Suchacorrectionwouldlogicallyaccompany,butneednotwaitfor,thefullimplementationofaQRIS.

Strengthen the links between early educator professional development and effec-tive teaching to improve child outcomes.

Effectiveearlyeducators,whetherinacenterorfamilychildcarehome(FCCH)setting,helpyoungchildrengrowandlearn,observechildren’sprogress,encouragecuriosityandcreativity,andkeepfamiliesinvolvedintheirchildren’sdevelopment.Forchildrenbirthtoagethree,“teach-ing”and“caregiving”typicallyoccursimultaneously;andthemannerinwhichtheadultlistenstoandrespondstotheinfantortoddlerisakeyindicatorofthequalityoftheearlylearningandcare(Lally,2009).

Althoughthereisbroadagreementthatunderstandingchilddevelopmentandengagingineffec-tiveinteractionwithyoungchildrenarecentraltothecapacityofqualityearlylearningandcareprogramstoimprovechildoutcomes,mostearlyeducatorslacksufficientprofessionaldevelop-

mentandacademictraininginchilddevelopment(Whitebooketal.,2009).Recently,somestud-ieshavenotfoundtheexpectedaddedvalueinadvanceddegreetraining,norinanyotherformoftraining,suchasnon-degree,in-servicetraining(Earlyetal.,2007).However,researchersdonotconcludethathighereduca-tionandin-servicetrainingareunimportant.Onthecontrary,asindicatedbyUniversityofVir-giniaresearcherRobertPiantaandcolleagues(2009)inarecentreviewofpreschoolresearch,theearlylearningandcarepro-gramsfoundtoachievedramatic

10

11

improvementsinchildoutcomesallhavewell-paid,highlyqualifiedteacherswithstrongsupervi-sion.Thereisnoevidencethatprogramswithouttheseattributescanachieveafractionofthesameresults.Themuch-toutedTulsapre-kindergartenprogram,forexample,employsfullyqualifiedpublicschoolteachersandpayspublicschoolsalaries.Inaddition,theprogramiscoupledwithacur-riculumfocusedonliteracyandaccompaniedbyfocusedprofessionaldevelopment.

Whattheresearchersaresayingisthathighereducationforearlyeducatorsneedstofocusmoreonthedesiredchildoutcomes,andthatdegree-bearingcoursesneedtoincludemoreobservationofearlyeducatorsintheclassroom,withampletimeforfeedbackontheireffectivenessininter-actingwithyoungchildren.

WhilemanyearlyeducatorsinbothcenterandFCCHsettingswanttopursuefurthereduca-tion,theycannoteasilyattendcollegeduringnormalbusinesshoursbecausetheyalreadyworkfull-time.Coursesareneededatavarietyofdayandeveninghours,inconvenientlocations,andusingonlinetechnology.Asatalllevelsofeducation,policymakersarestrugglingtodeterminethebestwaystoprepareteacherswhocanpromotechildren’swell-beingandlearning,suchassupplementingformaleducationwithcoachingandtrainingmodels.Moreover,earlyeducatorsinpreschoolsettingstypicallyearnabouthalfofwhatkindergartenteachersearn(U.S.DepartmentofLabor,2009);andturnoverishigh,hoveringaround30percentperyear(Phillips,2010).

Californianeedstobuildoninnovativeprojectsandcommittostatewideaccesstoanarticulatedpathwaythroughhighereducationbasedonearlyeducatorcompetencies;equitablecompen-sationandenvironments;andresearch-anddata-drivenprofessionaldevelopmentpractices,policies,andresourceallocationsthatlinkeffectiveteachingandlearningrelationshipstochildoutcomes.

Establish a statewide evaluation and research system to determine the impact of early learning and care programs on child outcomes.

Californiadoesnottrackchildren’senrollmentinearlylearningandcareprogramsacrossthewiderangeofprogramsettings,andhencethesedatacannotbelinkedtochildren’sschoolreadi-nessandachievementinkindergartenthroughgradetwelve.Establishingauniquechildidenti-fierforchildrenenrolledinearlylearningandcareprogramswouldhelptounderstandpatternsofenrollmentandtolinkthesedatawithtrendsinchildoutcomesinelementarythroughhighereduca-tion.Whilerigorousquasi-experimentalstudieswouldbeneededtodeterminecausaleffects,trackingtheenrollmentdatawouldimprovetheaccountabilityandtransparencyofthepublic’sinvestments.Also,thechild,family,andprogramdatasetsneedtobeconnectedtobetterdeterminethemosteffectiveearlylearningpracticesforCalifornia’sdiversepopulationofyoungchildren.

12

pRoposed design of CalifoRnia’s QRis

The Qua l i ty Rat ing Structure

Non-Weighted Block and F ive-Tier System

TheproposedQRISestablishesacohesivesetofqualitystandardsforallearlylearningandcareprograms.TheAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedanon-weightedblocksystemfortheratingstruc-ture’sbasicdesign.Inablocksystem,allthequalitycriteriaineachtierneedtobeaccomplishedtoobtainthatrating,andthecriteriaincludedineachtierbuildonthoseinpreviousblocks.Unlikeapointsystem,whereprovidersmaymeetsomebutnotallcriteriaforaparticulartier,ablocksystemstructurepromotesmoreconsistencyinthemeaningoftheratingsandmakesiteasierforfamiliestounderstandandcompareratings.

Inaddition,theAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedfivetiersforeachelement.Tier1,withtheadditionofaneducationalprogramandannuallicensingvisits,isroughlymodeledafterTitle22licensingstandards.Tier3parallelstheTitle5childdevelopmentprogramstandards,andTier5issimi-lartonationallyrecommendedstandards,suchastheNationalAssociationfortheEducationofYoungChildren(NAEYC)accreditationstandardsandtheNationalInstituteforEarlyEducationResearchqualitybenchmarks.ThetoptierrepresentsalevelofqualitytowhichtheAdvisoryCommit-teehopesprogramswillaspire,withtheexpectationthatonlyaminoritywillattainthehighertiersinitially.Overtime,theQRISwillmotivateandassistcentersandfamilychildcarehomesinmovingupthetierstoachievehigherratings.

13

Five Quality Elements

Asshowninthetableonpage20,theAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedfivequalityelementsfortheratingstructure:ratiosandgroupsize;teachingandlearning(measuredbyEnvironmentRatingScales[ERS],andalignmentwiththeCalifornia Preschool Learning Foundations,California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations,andtheCalifornia Preschool Curriculum Framework);familyinvolvement;staffeducationandtraining;andprogramleadership.Theelementsincludedinthequalityratingstructurearelimitedtothosemostcloselylinkedthroughresearchandeffectivepracticetoimprovedoutcomesforchildren.Theselectedelementsarealsoproxies–orleadingindicators–forthemanyadditionalfactorsthatareimportantforoptimumchilddevel-opment.Bylimitingthenumberofitemstobe“rated”and,therefore,thecostofthequalityrat-ingprocess,theQRISwillattempttopreserveresourcesandallowmoreemphasisonthesupportsystemsandtechnicalassistanceforqualityimprovement.

TheAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedafive-tierratingstructurethatintegrates:

• Culturalandlanguagecompetence(usingthedefinitiondevelopedinconjunctionwiththeEarly Childhood Educator [ECE] Competencies; seeAppendixBformoredetail)

• Childrenwithspecialneeds

• Nutrition,health,andphysicalactivity

Theseimportantcharacteristicsneedtobeembeddedintoeachqualityelementandallaspectsofprofessionaldevelopment,familyinvolvement,andtechnicalassistance,aswellasothersup-portsforqualityimprovement.California’sQRISenvisionsearlylearningandcareprogramsthatsupportthemanyculturesandlanguagesofCalifornia’schildrenandfamilies,arefullyinclusiveofchildrenwithspecialneeds,andpromotethehealthygrowthanddevelopmentofyoungchildren.

E lements of the Rat ing Structure

ThefollowingsectionsummarizestheAdvisoryCommittee’sdecisionsonthefivequalityele-ments,anditbrieflydescribestherelatedpolicystatementsandconsiderationsforeachelement.Formoredetailontheworkofthefivesubcommittees,includingthesubcommitteemeetinghighlights,seehttp://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/rt/caelqis.asp.

Ratios and Group Size for Centers and Family Child Care Homes

Staff-childratiosrepresentcomplexissuesindevelopingtheQRIS.Providingsufficientindividualattentiontoyoungchildreninastimulating–thoughorderly–settingisakeyqualityindicator.Evidencesuggeststhatarelativelyhighratioofadultstochildrenmaybeespeciallyimportantforinfantsandtoddlers(Shonkoff&Phillips,2000).However,staff-childratios,liketeacherandpro-videreducationrequirements,arekeyfactorsaffectingthecostofearlylearningandcare,andthereforethesefactorsmustbeconsideredintandem.

14

Ratio and group size for centers:Forinfantsinthehighesttwotiers,theAdvisoryCommit-teeproposesmorestringentstaff-childratiossimilartothoserecommendedbyNAEYCandtheProgramforInfant/ToddlerCare(PITC).1Forpreschool-agechildren,however,thepro-posedstaff-childratiosgenerallyfollowTitle22licensingrequirementsinthefirsttwotiers.TheToddlerOptionisarequirementofTier2,whichmeansthatatoddlerisdefinedas18to30monthsofage,andaratioof6:1isrequired.TheratiosmaintainTitle5andHeadStartchilddevelopmentprogramrequirementsinthehigherthreetiersfortoddlersandpreschoolers,allowingformoreemphasisonstrongereducationalrequirementsforprogramdirectorsandearlyeducatorstoimprovequality.

Group size:Thenumberofchildreninagroupisoftenconsideredtobeasimportantasstaff-childratiostotheoverallqualityofaprogram.Title22licensingregulationscurrentlydonothavegroupsizerequirements.Intheproposedratingstructure,allfivetierswouldhavealimitationongroupsize.ForinfantsinTiers3and4andforallagegroupsinTier5,groupsizewouldindicatethemaximumnumberofchildreninanindividualclassroom.ForinfantsinTiers1and2,andfortoddlersandpreschoolchildreninTiers1to4,groupsizemaybedefinedas“well-definedspaces”inalargerroom.InTiers3to5,programswouldeitherhavetomeettheTitle5childdevelopmentprogramrequirements,oraresearch-basedalternativeof10:1andgroupsizeof20children,assuminghigherteachereducationqualifications,suchasthosebeingimplementedinHeadStartandEarlyHeadStartprograms.

Ratio and group size for family child care homes: TheproposedratingstructureusescurrentTitle22licensingcriteriaasratioandgroupsizecriteriaforfamilychildcarehomes.KeepingFCCHratioandgroupsizeconstantalsoassumesincreasedstaffqualificationstoimproveprogramquality.

Teaching and Learning

Asstatedearlier,theproposedqualityratingstructurewillmeasureafewkeycriteriaforeachelement,withtheunderstandingthatthesecriteriaserveasproxies–orkeyindicators–forthemanyimportantattributesthataffectprogramquality.Theteachingandlearningqualityele-menthastwocriteria:

• Thequalityratingstructureshouldensurethatalltiersincludeanadequatemeasureofteacher-childinteraction,whichisoneofthefactorsmoststronglyrelatedtoimprovedchildoutcomes.

» TheentryleveloftheQRISwillrequireself-assessmentsusingtheenvironmentratingscales(ERS)tomeasurestructuralqualityandteacher/provider-childinteraction.TheERSareagroupofscalesincludingtheEarlyChildhoodEnvironmentRatingScale–Revised(ECERS-R)toassessprogramsforchildrenagestwotofive,theInfant/ToddlerEnvironmentRatingScale-Revised(ITERS-R)forprogramsservingchildrenuptoagetwo-and-a-half,andthe

1 WestEd’sPITCrecommendsprimarycareratiosof1:3or1:4,ingroupsof6to12children,dependingontheage(2010).NAEYCrecommends1:4forinfantsupto15monthsofageinagroupof8children,a1:4ratiofortoddlersages12to18months,anda1:6ratioforthoseupto36monthswithagroupsizeof12.

15

FamilyChildCareEnvironmentRatingScale-Revised(FCCERS-R)forhome-basedchildcaresettings.Eachsetofscaleshasitemstoevaluatethephysicalenvironment,materials,basiccare,curriculum,theinteractionbetweenearlyeducatorsandchildren,andopportunitiesforlearninganddevelopment.TheERS,firstpublishedin1980,havedemonstratedreliabilityandvalidity,andtheyareusedinmostotherstatesthathaveQRISs.Additionaltoolsmaybeneededtoadequatelyassessandimproveprogramfacilities.

» Higherlevelsoftheratingstructurewouldfocusinmoredepthonteacher-childinteraction,withindependentassessmentsusingtheClassroomAssessmentScoringSystem(CLASS)ortheProgramAssessmentRatingScale(PARS)atTiers4and5.TheCLASSisanassessmenttoolwithdemonstratedreliabilityandvaliditythatisparticularlynotedforitscapacitytoassessthequalityofteacherinstructionforpreschool-agechildren;itisnowbeingrequiredbythefederalgovernmenttoevaluatethequalityofHeadStartprograms.DevelopedbyPITC,thePARSmeasurestheearlyeducator’sresponsivenesstochildrenagesbirthtothree.

» AlignmentwiththeFoundationsandFrameworksservesasaproxyforcurriculum,childassessment,developmentalandhealthscreeningswithappropriatereferrals,inclusionofchildrenwithspecialneeds,andculturalandlanguagecompetence.TheFoundationsandFrameworkscontainthese(andother)programqualitycriteriaandarealsoalignedwithkin-dergartenstandards.

TheuseoftheERSfamilyoftools,Title22licensingrequirements,andtheFoundationsandFrameworkswilltogetheraddressthefollowingproposed“NutritionCriteria”:

• MealsandsnacksmeettheChildCareFoodProgram(CCFP)requirements(forcenters).

• Mealsandsnacksareservedatregulartimes.

• Childrenhaveaccesstowaterthroughouttheday.

• Menusareposted.

• Theprogramdecideswhatisoffered;thechilddecideswhattoeatandhowmuch.

• Mealsareservedfamilystyle;adultssitwithchildrenduringmeals.

Inaddition,orientationtotheCCFP’snutritionguidanceandstatenutritionstandardswillpro-videnutritioncriteria.BeginningwithTier1,programswillbeencouragedtoparticipateintheCCFP.Representativesfromnutritionprogramsandfromhealthandmentalhealthconsultantorganizationssupportincludingadditionalcriteria.

Family Involvement

IncorporatingparentandfamilyengagementisacriticalcomponentofCalifornia’sproposedQRIS.Itistheinteractionbetweenthechild’sfamilyandearlylearningandcaresetting,whetheritisacenterorFCCH,thatpromotesthebestdevelopmentalandchildoutcomes.Forexample,the

16

ChicagoChild-ParentCentersfoundthatfamilyengagementisnotonlyanessentialcomponentofahigh-qualityearlylearningprogram,butalsoakeyfactorassociatedwithmorepositivestudentout-comesandgreaterfamilyinvolvementintheelementaryschoolyears(Miedel&Reynolds,1999).

Familyinvolvementhasbeenlinkedtoschoolreadiness,schoolperformance,academicachieve-ment,andsocialandemotionaldevelopment.Studieshavefoundthatall families,regardlessofincomeoreducationallevel,orethnicorculturalbackground,areimportantinsupportingchildren’slearningandinvestinginchildren’sschoolsuccess.Indeed,researchsuggeststhatfamilyparticipationineducationistwiceaspredictiveofstudents’academicsuccessasfamilysocioeconomicstatus.Furthermore,researchhasdemonstratedthatregardlessoffamilyincomeorculturalbackground,childrenwhoseparentsareinvolvedintheireducationaremorelikelytoachievehighergradesandtestscores,havemoreconsistentschoolattendance,demonstratebettersocialskillsandself-esteem,showimprovedbehavior,andadaptwelltotheschoolenvi-ronment(Coughlanetal.,2009;Henderson&Mapp,2002).Therefore,itisessentialtoestablishwidelyavailableopportunitiesforfamiliestobecomeinvolvedintheirchildren’searlylearningandcaresettings;workcollaborativelywithschools,centers,andfamilychildcarehomes;anddeveloppartnershipswithearlyeducatorssothatyoungchildrenreceivethefullbenefitoftheprogramsandarepreparedforkindergartenandfutureschoolsuccess.

Thefivetiersoftheproposedfamilyinvolvementqualityelementfocusonrelationshipbuild-ing,sharedgoals,andfamilydemographics.Thesepartneringstrategiesextendanddeepeninintentionalityandvarietyasprogramsadvancethroughthefivetiers.Earlylearningandcareprogramsneedafullrangeofoptionsandopportunitiesforfamilyengagement,sofamiliescanchoosethetypeofengagementactivitiesbasedontheirpriorities.

Thefamilyinvolvementelementintegratesthreecomponentsofeffectivepartneringtodothefollowing:

• Developpartneringrelationshipswithfamiliesandrecognizetheprimacyoffamily.

• Addressdiversity;acknowledgethedifferencesofcultureandfamilyvaluesandpractices.

• Buildtrustingrelationshipsthatgrowoutofsharedknowledge.

TheAdvisoryCommitteeproposesusingtheERSmeasureforfamilyinvolvementandtheTitle22licensingrequirementsrelatedtofamilyengagementasproxiesforthefamilyengagementele-mentoftheratingscale.2TheAdvisoryCommitteerecommendsincludingfamilyeducationtopicsappropriatetothecommunitybeginningatTier2andtopicsappropriatetotransitionplanningatTier3.Culturalandlanguagecompetencymustbeintegratedintoallfamilyinvolvementstrate-gies.Formoreinformationoneffectivestrategiesforencouragingfamilyinvolvement,withanemphasisonculturalandlanguagecompetencyandassistingfamilieswhohavechildrenwithspecialneeds,seeAppendixH.

2FamilyInvolvementtiersreferenceECERS-Rsubscale“Parents&Staff,”item38;ITERS-Rsubscale“Parents&Staff”item33;andtheFCCERS-RsubscaleParent&Provider,item35.

17

Staff Education and Training

TheAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedtiersforearlyeducatorprofessionaldevelopment,withcon-siderationofEarly Childhood Education (ECE) Competenciesandtheprofessionaldevelopmentdeliverysystem.Theintentistoacknowledgetheextensiveresearchindicatingthatearlyeduca-torswithdegreesandappropriatetraininginthefieldareastandardcomponentofthehigh-qual-ityprogramsthathavebeenfoundtoincreaseschoolreadinessandimprovechildren’sachieve-mentinelementaryschool.Degreesalonearenotapanacea,however.3Bothdegree-bearingandin-servicetrainingneedtofocusmoreonthekindofinteractionbetweentheearlyeducatorandchildthathasbeenfoundtopromoteschoolreadinessacrossdomains.Promotingteachereffectivenesscallsforamixofstrategies,includingongoingsupportforlearning,rewardingworkenvironments,andequitablecompensation.Asindicatedearlier,programobservationsarealsoneededtoassessteachereffectivenessandprovideongoingfeedback.

StaffeducationandtrainingcriteriavaryateachtieroftheQRIS,encompassingthefollowingcomponents:

• Formaleducation–credit-bearingcourses,includingdegreesandcredentials.Courseworkinearlychildhoodeducationrequiresa“C”orbet-tergrade.

• Practicalexperience–creditandnon-creditbearingprofessionalpracticeexperiences,suchasreflectivepractice,internships,collegepracti-cumexperiences,andfieldwork.

• Ongoingprofessionaldevelopment–creditornon-creditcoursesandseminars,includingcoachingandmentoring.

Withrespecttoteacherqualifications,theproposeddesigngraduallyadvancesteachereducationalquali-ficationsbytier.QRIS“staffeducationandongoingprofessionaldevelopment”criteriaapplytoallleadteachersastheproxyfortheeducationandprofes-sionaldevelopmentofstaffintheearlylearningandcareprogram.

3Well-qualifiedteachersareanimportantelementofhigh-qualityprograms,althoughlevelsofeducationneedtobeaccompa-niedbyequitablepay,whichmeanssalariesthatarecommensuratewiththelevelofeducation.Researchindicatesthatcentersthatofferequitablecompensationarebetterabletorecruitandretainwell-educatedstaff.Otherfactorsthatcontributetohigh-qualityprogramsincludehigh-calibercurriculum,intensiveeducation(i.e.,smallclasses,lowteacher/studentratios),steadyattendance,measurementsofteacherperformancetoguidetrainingtoimproveteachereffectiveness,andhelpingteacherslearntomeasurechildren’sprogresstoinformeffortstopromotestudentprogress(Barnett&Ackerman,2006).

18

Program Leadership

Earlylearningandcaredirectorsareresponsibleforpersonnelandfiscalmanagement,over-sightoftheprogram’scurriculum,andeducationalleadershipforstaffandfamilies.Forprogramleadership,theprogramdirector’seducationalandprofessionalexperienceserveastheproxiesrelatedtoestablishingeffectiveadministrativepoliciesandprocedures,developingleadership,compensatingstaff,supportingprofessionaldevelopment,andevaluatingprograms.Programleadershipinvolvesawidearrayofknowledgeandskillsinadministration,staffmanagement,andunderstandingpoliciesandprocesses(McCormickCenterforEarlyChildhoodLeadership,2009).4Thequalityratingstructureusestheprogramdirector’squalificationsasaproxyforthesemultipleskills,recognizingthatthismeasureofeffectivenesswillneedtobeevaluated.

TheProgramAdministrationScale(PAS)isdesignedtoreliablymeasuretheleadershipandman-agementpracticesofcenter-basedearlychildhoodorganizations.TheBusinessAdministrationScale(BAS)measuresmanagementpracticesandqualityofcareinfamilychildcaresettings.Bothscalesarehighlycorrelatedwithprogramdirectorqualificationsandarehelpfultoolsfortechnicalassistance,thoughtheyarenotappropriateforratingallprograms.TheAdvisoryCom-mitteealsorecommendedusingotheradministrativeratingtoolstoimproveprogramleadership,suchasthecoordinatedmanagementreviewtheCDEusestomonitorTitle5childdevelopmentprograms,aswellasNAEYCmaterials.Ensuringaprocessformeasuringtheeffectivenessofprogramleadershipiscriticaltoensuringthatanearlylearningandcareprogramcontributestoimprovedchildoutcomes.

Eachcentershouldidentifythe“programdirector,”definedasthepersonwhoadministersand/ormanagesacenterorprogram.Forpurposesofassessingprogramleadership,familychildcarehomeswillusethestaffeducationandtrainingelementandwillnotbeaskedtoalsomeettheprogramleadershipelementcriteriafortheprogramdirector.However,theBASinstrumentmaybeusedasaself-studyresourceandfortechnicalassistanceforfamilychildcareproviders.

Prevent ing Redundancy in Program Rev iews

Toguardagainstduplicationinprogramreviews,theAdvisoryCommitteeproposesexploringagreementswithaccreditationagenciesandotherentities,suchasHeadStartandTitle5pro-grams,whichconductvalidatedperformancereviews.Thepurposeofthispolicyistopreventduplicationofeffortandsaveexpendituresonmultipleprocedures,suchasenvironmentrat-ings.Inaddition,thisprocessmaytriggerareviewofcurrentinteragencyprogrammonitoring

4Policymakersshouldheedthefollowingadviceforearlychildcareprogramdirectors:(1)SupporttheuseofthefederalChildCareandDevelopmentFundqualityset-asidefundsandHeadStarttrainingandtechnicalassistancedollarsfordirectorlead-ershiptraining;(2)encourageinstitutionsofhighereducationtoexpandearlychildhoodadministrationcoursesanddegreeprograms;(3)createincentivesforearlychildhoodadministratorstoenhancetheirprofessionalqualificationsandattainastateornationaldirectorcredential;and(4)ensurethatorganizationalmeasuresofprogramadministrationareincludedinsystemreformefforts,suchasQRISs(McCormickCenterforEarlyChildhoodLeadership,2009).

19

processestoprovideforsimilarreciprocity,giventheredundantaspectsofmanyearlylearningandcareprogramreviews,includingTitle5reviewsandTitle22licensinginspections.Ultimately,ofcourse,preventingredundancyinprogramreviewsraisesthelargerquestionoftherelation-shipofTitle22licensinginspectionsandQRISmonitoring.TheAdvisoryCommitteerecommendspilotingvariousapproachestoachieveefficiencies,fromcoordinatingthetwoprocessestopos-siblyexperimentingwithcombiningthem.

TheQRISwillsetthestandardsforqualityineachtier.Thirdpartyaccreditationandvalidatedperformancereviewswillbeusedinconjunctionwithtiers,butnotincorporatedintothetiers.AccreditingagencieswillbeencouragedtomaptheirqualitycriteriatoCalifornia’sQRIS.Reci-procitywithpartoralloftheQRIS,suchastheERSandCLASS/PARSreviews,willbeconsid-eredwithtime-limitedmemorandaofunderstanding.Theagencyrequestingreciprocitywillberequiredtopayforanyrelatedcosts.

Itisimportanttostressthatthequalityratingstructureandsupportsystemswillbefieldtestedoverthenextseveralyears.TheintentionisalsotoeventuallycreateaCalifornia-specificqual-ityratingtoolsothatCaliforniadoesnotdependonproprietarytoolsandcandeveloparesourcethatreflectsCalifornia’sprioritiesandresources.TheAdvisoryCommitteeanticipatesthattheserecommendationswillbereviewedasmoredata,informationoneffectivepractices,andstake-holderinputbecomeavailable.However,thekeydecisionshereprovidetheessentialfoundationformovingforwardtotestimplementationoftheQRISdesign.

CAEL QR IS B lock System: T ie rs and E lements Quality Elements

T ier 1 T ier 2 T ier 3 T ier 4 T ier 5

R a t io s a n d G r o u p S i z e

R a t io G r o u p S i z e R a t io G r o u p S i z e R a t io G r o u p S i z e R a t io G r o u p Si z e R a t io G r o u p Si z e

Infant(Center) 4:1 12 4:1 123:14:1

or 128

3:14:1

or 128

3:1 9

Toddler (Center):Ratiovaries;dependsondefinitionoftoddler&whethertoddlersaregroupedwithinfants.

4:1 12 6:1 12 4:1 12 4:1 12 4:1 12

Toddlerisdefinedas12-24months,anditisassumedthattoddlersareincluded

withinfants.

Toddlerisdefinedas18-30monthsand;aratioof6:1

isrequired.

Toddlerisdefinedas18-36months.

Toddlerisdefinedas18-36months.

Toddlerisdefinedas18-36months.

Preschool (Center) 12:1 24 12:1 24

8:110:1

or 2420

8:110:1

or 2420

8:110:1

or 2420

Family Child Care Homes TheAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedusingcurrentTitle22licensingcriteriaasRatioandGroupSizeCriteria.

Te a c h i n g a n d L e a r n i n g

a. Environment Rating Scale(s) –ECERS-R,ITERS-R,FCCERS-R

Facilitated self- assessment.Includesaone-on-onefacilitatedtrainingafterself-assessmentcompleted.Norequirementforscorelevel.

Facilitated peer assessment.Includesaone-on-onefacilitatedtrainingafterpeer-assessmentcompleted.Norequirementforscorelevel.

Independent assessment. Allsubscalescompletedandaveragedtomeetoverallscorelevelof4.0.Self-assessmentwithCLASS(pre-k)orPARS(infant/toddler)tomeasureteacher/childinteractionsinalternateratingperiods.

Independent assessment. Allsubscalescompletedandaveragedtomeetoverallscorelevelof5.0.PlusCLASS(pre-k)orPARS(infant/toddler)tomeasureteacher/childinteractionsinalternateratingperiods.

Independent assessment.Allsubscalescompletedandaveragedtomeetoverallscorelevelof6.0.PlusCLASS(pre-k)orPARS(infant/toddler)tomeasureteacher/childinteractionsinalternateratingperiods.

b. Alignment with Early Learning Foundations and Frameworks

Awareness.HaveacopyofandreceiveorientationonFoundationsandFrameworks.

Education Plan: Programhasphilosophystatement.

Exploring integrating the Foundations and Frameworks.

Education Plan:Adevelopmentally,culturally,linguisticallyappropriate(DCLA)curriculum.

Developing competency in integrating Foundations and Frameworks.

Education Plan:Social,emotional,cognitive,andphysicaldomainsinlessonplanslinkedtoDCLAchildassessments.Professional developmentplanforFoundations and Frameworks.

Building competency in integrating Foundations and Frameworks.

Education Plan:Social,emotional,cognitive,andphysicaldomainsinlessonplanslinkedtoDCLAchildassessments.Professional developmentplanforFoundations and Frameworks.

Fully integrating Foundations and Frameworks

Education Plan:IncludealldomainsoflearninginanintegratedfashioninlessonplanslinkedtoDCLAchildassessment.Professional development planforFoundations and Frameworks.

continuedonnextpage>>>RefertoAppendixEformoreinformationaboutthequalityelementsandtiers.

Quality Elements

T ier 1 T ier 2 T ier 3 T ier 4 T ier 5

Fa m i l y I n v ol v e m e n t

Family Involvement:EnvironmentRatingSubscale(“Parents&Staff”)(ECERS-R,ITERS-R,FCCERS-R)

Communicate with Parentsa. ERS:Facilitatedself-assessment.b.Ifsubscaleitemislessthan3,animprovementplanisdeveloped.c.Title22Centerrequirements.d.ComparableTitle22FCCHrequirements.

Educate Parents and Receive Informationa. ERS:Facilitatedpeer-assessment.b. Ifsubscaleitemislessthan3,animprovementplanisdeveloped.c. Topicsofferedinsupportofsubscale.Provisionsforparents,indicatorsforfamilyinformationand/oreducationmayincludetopicssuchashowchildrenlearnathomeandinearlylearningandcare;developmentallevelsandbraindevelopment;physicalactivitiesandnutrition.

Involve Parentsa. ERSindependentassessment.b. ERSaveragescoreof4;whensubscaleitemislessthan4,aqualityimprovementplanwillbedeveloped.c. Providerhasawrittentransitionplanthatisactivatedwhenachildmovesintoanotherchildcaresettingorintokindergarten.

Engage Parentsa.ERSindependentassessment.b. ERSaveragescoreof5;whensubscaleitemislessthan5,aqualityimprovementplanwillbedeveloped.

Partner and Advocate with Parentsa. ERSindependentassessmentb.ERSaveragescoreof6;whensubscaleitemislessthan6,aqualityimprovementplanwillbedeveloped.

S t a f f E d u c a t io n a n d T r a i n i n g

Education Center:12unitsofECEFCCH:15hoursofhealthandsafety

Center:24unitsofECE(core8)FCCH:12unitsofECE(core8)

24unitsofECE(core8)and16unitsofGeneralEducation(sameasTitle5andcurrentChildDevelopmentTeacherpermit).

Associate’sdegreeinECEOR60degree-applicableunits,including24unitsofECEORassociate’sdegreeinanyfieldplus24unitsofECE(similartoaMasterTeacherinTitle5Programsornew(October2011)HeadStartrequirements.

Bachelor’sdegreeinECE(orcloselyrelatedfield)with48+unitsofECEORmaster’sdegreeinECE.

Experience Title22teacherwith6monthsexperience

Oneyearofexperience Twoyearsofexperience Twoyearsofexperience Twoyearsofexperience

Professional Development

21hoursperyear 21hoursperyear 21hoursperyear 21hoursperyear 21hoursperyear

P r o g r a m L e a d e r s h i p

Program Leadership

12unitscoreECE(earlychildhoodeducation,childdevelopment,family/consumerstudies,orrelatedfield),3unitsadministration,4yearsexperience.IntroductiontoPASorBAS.

24unitscoreECE,16unitsGeneralEducation,3unitsadministration,1yearmanagementorsupervisoryexperience.Self-studywithPASorBAS.

Associate’sdegreewith24unitscoreECE,6unitsadministration,2unitssupervision

2yearsmanagementorsupervisoryexperience.ContinuousimprovementthroughaPASorBASactionplan.

Bachelor’sdegreewith24unitscoreECE,15unitsmanagement,

3yearsmanagementorsupervisoryexperience.Continuousimprovement,throughaPASorBASactionplan.

Master’sdegreewith30unitscoreECEincludingspecializedcourses,21unitsmanagement,orAdministrativeCredential.ContinuousimprovementthroughaPASorBASactionplan.

RefertoAppendixEformoreinformationaboutthequalityelementsandtiers.

22

pRoposed design of sysTems To suppoRT QualiTy impRovemenT

Techn ica l Ass istance to He lp Programs Improve

BecauseoneofthechiefpurposesofaQRISistosupportqualityimprovement,technicalassis-tances(TA)isamajorfocus.Basedontheconcernsaboutthequalityofprogramsidentifiedinstudies(Karolyetal.,2008;Helburn,1995),merelyratingprogramswithoutprovidingTAresourceswillnotfostercontinuousprogramimprovementandbetteroutcomesforchildreninearlylearningandcareprograms.WhiletheAdvisoryCommittee’sworkfocusedontheratingstructure’sdesign,theCommitteeapprovedactionstoguidetheTAthatwillaccompanytheratingstructuretoformacompleteQRISbyprovidingapathwayforimprovement.

UponentryintotheQRIS,everyearlylearningandcareprogramwouldbeofferedinformationtoexplaintheratingsandanopportunitytodevelopa“qualityimprovementplan”incollaborationwithTAstaff.Theplanwouldprovidedirectiononhowtoimprovequalityintheareasofconcerntotheprogram,and,ifdesired,offercleardirectiononhowtoqualifytomoveuptothenexttier.Whileentry-levelprogramsarelikelytorequirethegreatestsupport,TAwouldalsobeavail-abletohelpprogramsmaintaintheircurrenttier,particularlyatthehigherlevels.TheplanistobuildonexistingTAexpertiseandeffectivedeliverystrategiesusingtheresourcesofearlyQRIS

23

modelprogramsandearlylearningandcareassociations.Toavoidconflictsofinterest,differentgroups,oratleastseparatepartsoforganizations,wouldprovideQRISratings,ERS,andprogramreviews;andconductTA.Forexample,withsufficientsafeguards,TAcouldbeprovidedthroughdifferentadministrativegroupsbutnotnecessarilyseparateagencies,sinceinsomeregionsfewagencieshavesufficientexpertise.

Priortoimplementation,administratorswouldexaminelocalTAmodelsthathaveexperiencewithassessingandprovidingtechnicalassistancetoprograms.AdministratorscouldthenexploretheuseofreciprocalreviewsandTAtobuildaQRISlearningcommunitythatstrength-ensprogramleadershipandinvitesownership.TAwouldalsobeavailableforlicense-exemptproviderstohelpthemprepareforlicensureandtosupporttheminprovidinginformationtofamiliesonchilddevelopment.

TheproposedTAwillbeastrengths-basedapproachthatusescoachingandmentoringforcontin-uousqualityimprovement.Thecoachingmodelisclient-driven,beginningwithabaselineQRISassessmentoftheearlylearningandcareprogram.TheQRIScoachesneedtohave(oracquire)traininginspecificskillareas.StatewideoversightisneededtomonitorQRIScoaches’credentialsandevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheirapproaches.TAresourcesshouldfocusonimproving:(1)thequalityof“teachingandlearning,”primarilytoimproveoutcomesforchildren;and(2)opera-tionalconsiderations,suchasleadership,humanresourcesmanagement,andprogramresources.

Duringthepilotphase,itwillbeimportanttobuildonstatewideTAnetworksandlocalTAresourcesasdescribedinAppendixB.Maximizingtheuseoftechnology(suchasWebinarsandteleconferences)willfacilitatebroaderparticipationanddisseminationofinformation.Inaddi-tion,thepilotphasewillbeanimportanttimetoexamineoptionsforselectingan“honestlocalbroker”toidentifyregionalandlocalTAresourceswithoutposingaconflictofinterest.

Building on California’s Ear ly Learning Resources

Californiahasdevelopedsomeimportantdocumentstohelpearlylearningandcareprogramsimprovechildoutcomes,andtheproposedQRISwillbuildontheseresources.Theresourcesdescribedherearedesignedtobedevelopmentally,age,andculturally/linguisticallyappropriatewhilealsolinkingwithkindergartenstandards.Thus,theyprovideaplatformforacontinuumfrombirthtoageeight.Theresourcesincludethefollowing:

• California Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundationsprovideacomprehensiveunder-standingofyoungchildren’slearninganddevelopmentduringthefirstthreeyearsoflife.TheFoundationsoutlinekeyknowledgeandskillsthatmostchildrencanachievewhenofferedthekindsofinteractions,guidance,andenvironmentsthatresearchhasshowntopromoteearlylearninganddevelopment.TheCalifornia Preschool Learning Foundationsdescribetheknowledge,skills,andcompetenciesthatchildrentypicallyattainataround48and60monthsofagewhentheyparticipateinahigh-qualitypreschool.ThePreschool Foundationsareresearch-based,linktothekindergartenstandards,andencompassthekindergartenthroughgrade

24

twelvecontentstandardareaswithimportantadditionsforsocial-emotionaldevelopmentanddual-languagelearners.

• TheCalifornia Preschool Curriculum Frameworks,releasedin2010,arecompaniondocumentstotheFoundations.TheFrameworksincludeinformationontheenvironmentandexperiencestosupporteachlearningdomain,suggestedinteractionswithchildrenandfamilies,andteachingstrategiesinaformatthatallowsearlyeducatorstoreflectontheirteachingpractices.Localprogramscanchoosespecificcurriculathatwilldefineasequenceofintegratedexperiences,interactions,andactivitiestohelpyoungchildrenreachspecificlearninggoals.Currently,fewerthanhalfofthethree-andfour-year-oldCaliforniachildrenattendprogramsthatuseaspecificcurriculumbasedonchilddevelopmentresearch(Karolyetal.,2008).

• TheEarly Childhood Educator Competenciesdescribecoreknowledge,skills,anddispositionsofearlyeducatorsservingchildrenbirthtoagefive.TheCompetencies definethecontentofprofes-sionalpreparationandongoingdevelopment,andincludetheskillstobeculturally,linguisti-cally,anddevelopmentallyappropriatewhenworkingwithyoungchildrenandtheirfamilies.TheCompetenciesaddressthegoalofdevelopingandretainingacompetent,diverse,andstableworkforceinavarietyofprogramsettings.TheCompetencieswillprovidelevelsofcontent(tobedetermined)forongoingprofessionaldevelopment,andtheywillbealignedwiththeCalifornia Preschool Learning Foundations andthe Infant/Toddler Learning & Development Foundations.

• California’s Desired Results Developmental Profile-2010 (DRDP–2010)fortypicallydevelopingchildren,andDRDP-Accessforchildrenwithdisabilitiesandotherspecialneeds,representkeycomponentsofthestate’seffortstoimprovethequalityofearlylearningandcareprogramsbyfocusingonchildoutcomes.Theseobservation-basedassessmentsarebeingalignedwiththeFoundations.TheDesiredResultssystemalsoincludesafamily-basedassessmentintheformofanannualfamilysurveyandaprogram-basedassessmentusingtheenvironmentratingscale.

• TheDRDP-School Readiness Toolprovideskindergartenteacherswithvalidandreliablemeasure-mentsofchildren’sdevelopmentinkeydomainsofschoolreadiness(English-languagedevelop-ment,selfandsocialdevelopment,self-regulation,languageandliteracydevelopment,andmath-ematicsdevelopment),anditsupportsthetransitionofchildrenfrompreschooltokindergarten.TheToolisbeingfieldtestedfromAugust2010toJune2011.ThisresourcecouldbeincludedintheQRISassessmentofchildoutcomes.

Theseearlyeducationresources,trainingmaterialsandprograms,anddeliverysystems,includ-ingWebaccess,arealreadyavailabletopublicandprivateprogramsandbylicense-exemptpro-viders.ToencouragemorewidespreaduseoftheFoundations,Frameworks,DRDP,andrelatedtrainingmaterials,theAdvisoryCommitteerecommendsbroaddisseminationandtrainingforbothpublicandprivateearlylearningandcareprogramsthroughpre-serviceandin-servicepro-fessionaldevelopmentresourcesandsystems.

25

Workforce Deve lopment to Promote Ef fect ive Teachers

Theprimaryworkforcedevelopmentchallengeistosetupasupportsystemtoanalreadyexperi-encedworkforcecomingfromverydiverseeducationalbackgrounds.Onestrengthoftheexist-ingworkforceisthatlicensedfamilychildcareprovidersandcenterteachersareethnicallydiverseandsimilarindemographicstothechildrentheyserve(Whitebook,2009).However,theworkforce’sleveloftrainingvarieswidelyfrombasichealthandsafetycertificationtohighereducationdegreesinearlylearningandcare.Currently,thefederalHeadStartpro-gramistheonlyearlylearningandcareprograminCaliforniathatrequiresanassociate’sorbachelor’sdegreeforteachingstaff.

Californianeedstimelineswithsystemicsupportforanarticulationandtransferprocesswithinandamongcollegesanduniversities,systemwideandcollege-cohortdata,andpoliciesandfund-ingthatsupportstudentsuccesstoimprovedegreecompletion.Thestateneedstobuildontheeffortsofcommunitycollegestoaligncoursesandlinkthemwithstateuniversitycoursestocre-ateapathwaytowardtwo-andfour-yeardegrees,withoutcreatingdeadendsfortheearlylearn-ingandcareworkforce.Theextentoftheissueisillustratedinarecentanalysisindicatingthat70percentofdegree-seekingcommunitycollegestudentshadnotcompletedacertificateordegree,ortransferredtoanothercollegeoruniversitysixyearsafterinitialenrollment(Moore&Shulock,2010).

Competencies and Courses: Content of Education and Ongoing Professional Development

TheAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedpoliciesandconsiderationsforbuildingontheprogressofcur-rentqualityimprovementprojectsandacceleratingstatewideaccessibility,accountability,andcoherencethroughthefollowingsteps:

Allmembersofthehighereducationcommunity,includingtheregents,presidents,deans,andfaculty,needtoensurethecompletionofworkbythefollowingtimelinesothattheearlylearningandcareworkforcecaneffectivelyprovidelearningopportunitiesforyoungchildrenandmeetprogramrequirements.TheseobjectivesandtimelinesbecamemorereadilyachievablewiththerecentpassageofSB1440(Padilla)thatcreatedaclearpathwayforcommunitycollegestudentstransferringtotheCaliforniaStateUniversitysystem.

1. By2012, the Early Childhood Educator Competencies,whichincludetheFoundations,willbedevel-opedintoacommonandcomprehensivecourseofstudythatisreflectedincoursesforassociate’sandbachelor’sdegreesanddeliveredstatewide.Credit-bearingcoursesarerequiredfordegrees.

2. UsingthestatewidecommonandcomprehensivecourseofstudybasedontheEarly Childhood Educator Competencies:

a. By2013,allCaliforniacommunitycollegesthatofferearlylearningandcareprogramsincorporatethe“coreeight”classesandadditionalcoursestoreflectthedesignated

26

lowerdivisionCompetenciesintotheirdegreeprograms.AsofDecember2010,ofthe105communitycolleges:

» Nineteenhaveprogramsthatarecurrentlyaligned.

» Another22arefinalizingtheiralignment.

» Anadditional53areworkingtowardsubmittingtheirdocuments.

» Elevencollegeshavenotyetagreedtoparticipate.

b. By2014,allCaliforniaStateUniversity,UniversityofCalifornia,andprivatehighereducationinstitutionsthatofferearlychildhoodeducationprogramsalignthesecoursestoacommonandcomprehensivecourseofstudyacrossthetwo-andfour-yeardegreesystem.

3. By2015,aclearandaccessiblesystemofdemonstratingtheEarly Childhood Educator Competen-ciesequivalencyforcourseswillbedevelopedandpublicized,includingclearcriteriaanddeliver-ables.Thissystemincludescoursestakenfromout-of-state,foreign,andnon-regionallyaccred-itedinstitutions,aswellascompetenciesdevelopedthroughprofessionalpractice.

Strateg ies to Encourage Fami ly and Community Invo lvement

TheQRISpilotprojectsprovideanopportunitytofur-therplanandtestthebroadoutreachandcommunica-tionneededforQRISsuccess.TheinformationprovidedherereflectsthedraftplanfromtheAdvisoryCommit-tee’sEngagementSubcommittee(seeAppendixI).

Thedraftcommunicationplanisorganizedbythreetar-getgroups:(1)families;(2)programsandproviders;and(3)stakeholdersandthegeneralpublic.Foreachgroup,theplanprovidesimplementationstrategies,samplemessages,ideasfortemplates,andsystemsandgroupsthatcanprovideoutreachandinformation.Localagen-ciesandorganizationsneedtohaveopenaccesstoinformationthroughastateagencyWeb-linkedplat-formthatwillalsoencourageandrewardparticipationbyearlyleadersinthepilotphaseandthroughoutQRISimplementation.Asampleoftheideasforoutreachandcommunicationinclude:

• EstablishabrandfortheQRISthatinformsandpro-motesqualityearlylearningandcareprograms.For

27

example,somestatesusekeysorstars.TemplatescouldbedevelopedforcommonQRISmes-sagesthatcouldbeindividualizedtotheneedsoflocalagenciestodistributetovarioustargetgroups.TemplatescouldbeprovidedforWebsites;flyers;posters;brochures;videopresenta-tions;publicserviceannouncements;advertisements;andscriptsforphonetreemessages,twit-ters,e-mailblasts,textmessages,andsocialnetworks.

• Askstate,county,andlocalagenciesandorganizationscurrentlyworkingwithfamiliestoassistwithdisseminatinginformationtofamilies,stakeholders,andthecommunityandwithcollect-ingfeedback.Thisinvolvementcouldincludetrainingspokespersonsorobtainingtrainersfromlocalorganizations.Itisparticularlyimportanttoincludemessengerswhospeakthefamilies’languageandaretrustedsourcesofinformation.

• Seekcorporateandagencysponsorsandsecureexpertassistancetodevelopbranding,tem-plates,andapublicoutreachplan.Partneringwithmarketingclassesthroughcollegesanduni-versitiesviapracticumprojectsandputtingQRISinformationintotheFirst5“KitforNewPar-ents”couldbeexplored.

Data Systems to Track Progress

AQRIShasgreatpotentialtohelpprovidethedataontheeffectivenessofearlylearningandcareprogramsinimprovingchildoutcomesandreducingtheachievementgap.TheAdvisoryCommit-tee’svisionisasfollows:

TheCaliforniaEarlyChildhoodEducation(ECE)datainformationsystem,asacomponentoftheQRIS,willprovidetimely,accessible,andappropriatebirthtoagefivedataregardingchildren,families,teachers/providers,andprograms,anddataaboutfundingtosupportcontinuousprogramimprovementleadingtoincreasedarticulationandbetteroutcomesforchildreninCalifornia.Toensureahigh-caliberCaliforniaQRIS,theECEdatainformationsystemwillprovidedatatopolicymakers,consumers,andthepublicforpurposesofstrategicplanning,resourcemanagement,research,andimprovedaccountability.Majorfocuswillbeplacedonleveragingexistingdatasystemstoeliminateduplicativereportingandcollec-tionandimprovedataqualityto:

• Measureschoolreadiness.

• Establishmoreefficientprogrammanagementandadministrativefunctions.

• Improveteacherandprovidereffectiveness.

TheAdvisoryCommitteeidentifiedninekeyprinciplesforanearlylearningandcaredatasystem:(1)confidential;(2)useableandpractical;(3)accessibleandinter-operable;(4)respectscurrentdatabasesandbuildsonthem;(5)transparent;(6)includesandconnectschild,family,teacherandprovider,andprogramdata;(7)provider-friendly;(8)easilyadaptableandcangrowandchangeovertime;and(9)dynamic.

28

Thefirststepsindevelopingthedatainformationsystemaretodevelopauniquechildidenti-fierandassesscurrentdatacollectionprocessesusedbyprogramsservingyoungchildren.Theuniqueidentifierisessentialtofollowingchildren’sprogressinkindergartenthroughgradetwelve,andtoseeingifenrollmentinearlylearningandcareprogramsappearstobeassociatedwithimprovedschoolreadinessandstudentachievement.TheAdvisoryCommitteeapprovedamethodthatwouldusethebirthcertificate’sregistrationnumbertoprovideauniquestudentidentifierforchildreninearlylearningandcareprogramsthatwouldusethebirthcertificate’sregistrationnumber.Thislow-technologysolutionwouldalsoenableproviderstogobacktothecommonsourcetoidentifyachild.Almostallchildrenhavebirthcertificateswithauniquenumber,includingchildrenbornoutsideoftheUnitedStates,soveryfewchildrenwouldneedtoreceiveanalternateuniquenumber.

I n i t ia l Work to Deve lop a Fund ing Mode l for Ca l i fo rn ia ’s QR IS

EstablishingaQRISinvolvesmultiplefinancialissues.ThetasksofdevelopingafundingmodelalignedwiththeQRISandrecommendinghowresourcescanbeutilizedtocomplementthatmodelareoutlinedhere,buttheywillneedtobefullydeveloped.TheAdvisoryCommitteedevel-opedadocumentthatdescribes:(1)ananalysisofcostsfortheproposedQRIS;(2)possibleincen-tivestomotivateproviderandstaffparticipationinthesystem,aswellastoprovideresourcesforqualityimprovements;(3)possiblesourcesoffinancialandnon-financialresourcestoimple-mentaQRIS;and(4)afundingmodelthatmatchesQRIScostswithpossiblefundingstreams.Inaddition,theCDEpreparedamatrixofexistingstateandfederalresourcesforearlylearningandcare.TheseresourcesareincludedinAppendixesGandJ.

• Cost analysis:TheAdvisoryCommitteerecommendsthatthecostanalysiscontinue,usingtheOfficeofChildCare’sNationalChildCareInformationandTechnicalAssistanceCentercostcal-culatorandothertools.Thiscostcalculatorcanbe“populated”withCalifornia-specificdata.Itthenestimatescostsinseveralbroadareas,producinganannualcostforeachareaandatotalstatewideannualestimatedcost.

• Incentives:Financialandnon-financialincentivesneedtobepartofthe“portfolio”ofsystemstosupportcontinuousprogramimprovement.IncentivesneedtoreimburseprovidersfortheaddedcoststoparticipateinaQRIS;motivateproviderstoparticipate;providefundstoaffectspecificqualityimprovementsidentifiedintheQRISplans;andmotivatechilddevelopmentcenterteach-ers,assistantteachers,directors,andotherstaffmemberstoseekprofessionaldevelopmenttoimproveoutcomesforchildren,expandskills,andachievehigherqualitytiers.Furtherstudyneedstobeconducted,includingfocusgroupsandpilottestingof:(1)themosteffectivetypeofincentivesforvariousoutcomes;(2)theoptimalandmostcost-effectivedollarleveloffinancial

29

incentives;and(3)themosteffectivefrequencyofpayments.

• A funding model with progressive build-out: PotentialfinancemechanismsfortheQRISincludeexistingfundingstreamsthatmostcloselymatchprobableQRIScosts;partnershipswithlocalentitiesthatcanprovidebothfinancialandnon-financialresources;andusingstateandfed-eralearlylearningandcareprojectsandprogramsascost-effectivevehiclestosupportqualityimprovementamonglicensedfamilychildcareprovidersandcenters.

TheAdvisoryCommitteeidentifiedstate,local,andfederalfundingstreams,aswellasoppor-tunitiestodeveloppartnershipswithFirst5stateandcountycommissions,foundationsandbusinesses,professionalassociationsandnetworks,andstateandfederallyfundedprojects(seeAppendixJ).Itwillbeimportanttoexaminehowto:(1)adaptandincorporate,whenpossible,existingfundingstreamstosupporttheQRISpilotandimplementationphases;and(2)partnerandcollaborateonpilotprojectsforfunding,services,relationships,andlocalexpertise.

30

how The QRis will woRk

Pi lot Pro jects to F ie ld Test the QR IS

ImplementingaQRISiscomplex.Amongthe23statesthathavealreadyimplementedsuchsystems,manystronglyrecommendthatitisvitaltoconductafieldtestorpilotpriortoimple-mentingthesystemstatewide.TheAdvisoryCommitteerecommendsathree-yearpilotbeforeembarkingonstatewideimplementation.

Thepilotprojectswillprovideanopportunityto:(1)exploretheefficacyofvariousmethodsforrecruitingearlylearningandcareprogramstovolunteertoparticipateintheratingprocess;(2)assessthecostsandbenefitsofvariousapproachestoconductingtheprogramqualityreviewsandprovidingtechnicalassistance;and(3)establishstatewidedataparametersforongoingresearchandevaluationsthatinformcontinuousprogramimprovementeffortsandlinktheQRIStochildoutcomes.OtherfactorstostudyforQRISparticipationincludeinvestigatingphase-intimelinesforpublicandprivateearlylearningandcareprograms;checkingtheeffectivenessofcommunicationwithprograms,providers,andfamilies;andstudyingthelengthoftimepro-gramsstayonormoveuptiersgiventhestandardsforeachtierandvaryinglevelsofincentivesandsupport.StrongevaluationwillbecentraltothesuccessofpilotprojectsandtotheQRISwhenfullyimplemented.

31

TheAdvisoryCommittee’sinitialideasforpilotprojectsaretoencouragearangeofcounties(orregions)toparticipatebyprovidingsupportforabalanceddistributionofprogramandprovidercharacteristics,suchaspublicandprivate,urbanandrural,infant-toddlerandpreschool,andestablishedandnewtoQRIS.AsexplainedinAppendixC,Californiaalreadyhasanumberofmodelsforqualityratingandimprovementsystemsthathavebeenestablishedatthecountylevelaswellasotherregionalqualityimprovementinitiatives.

FortheQRISpilotprojects,criteriaforselectionshouldalsoinclude:

• WillingnesstoimplementandassesstheQRISratingscaleandsystemsofsupportwithfidelity

• Agreementtoparticipateintheevaluation

• Capacitytoleveragelocalresources,includingexpertiseandfunding

• Demonstratedpartnershipsacrossarangeofprogramsandprovidersandsupportsystems

Par t ic ipat ion and Phase– In

TheAdvisoryCommitteeproposesathree-yearpilotoftheQRIS,includingsufficienttimeforplanningandevaluation,followedbyaphased-inimplementationoverfiveormoreyears.ThevisionisthattheparticipationintheQRISwillinitiallybevoluntary,thenberequiredforpubliclyfundedprograms,andultimatelyberequiredforalllicensedprograms,withappropriatefund-ingandincentivesprovided.Thevisionisthatparticipationinthequalityratingstructurewillbeopentolicensedcenter-basedprograms,asmallcategoryoflicense-exemptcentersmeetingspecificrequirements,andlicensedfamilychildcarehomes.(SeetheGlossaryfordefinitions.)License-exemptproviderswillhaveaccesstotechnicalassistance,professionaldevelopment,andsupporttoobtainlicensure,althoughtheywillnotbeeligibletoobtainratings.Whenfullyimplemented,theplanisforratingstobelinkedtobothfinancialandnon-financialincentivesforimprovement.

Priortostatewideimplementation,theAdvisoryCommitteeproposesthatallearlylearningandcareprogramsbeencouragedtoimplementasmanyoftheproposedQRISrecommendationsaspossible,althoughlimitedpublicfinancialresourcesareavailabletosupportparticipationini-tially.Programs,associations,andcommunitiescanworktoimproveprogramqualityinsome,orall,ofthequalityratingstructureelementsandsupportsystemswhilebuildingonlocalimprove-mentefforts,commitments,andresources.Theproposedphase-inplanisaguideforstatewidetestingandimplementationandisnotintendedtolimitlocalleadershipandmomentumforearlylearningqualityimprovement.

32

Overs ight and Conduct of Rat ings and Rev iews

Partnershipsamongmultiplefederal,state,andlocalagenciesareessentialtosuccessfullyimple-mentCalifornia’sQRIS.TheAdvisoryCommitteeenvisionsthattheQRISwoulduseacombina-tionoflocalandstateoversighttomaximizeexpertiseandresources.TheQRISratingswouldbedoneatthecountylevel(orregionalconsortium).TheCDEwouldprovideoversightandassuranceofstatewideconsistency(e.g.,inter-raterreliability).Inaddition,stateoversightfunctionswouldneedtosafeguardagainstconflictsofinterestbetweentheentitiesconductingERSassessmentsandprogramreviewstoestablishratingsandthoseprovidingtechnicalassistancedesignedtohelpimproveratings.Stateoversightalsowouldincludeestablishinganappealsprocessfortech-nicalissues,suchasadministrativeerrors.ThequalitativeaspectsoftheQRISprogramreviews(i.e.,ERSandCLASSorPARS)wouldnotbesubjecttoappeal.WhenassessingaclassroomusinganERS,theAdvisoryCommitteerecommendsthattheindependentassessorshaveknowledgeof,andexperiencewith,thetypeofsettingbeingreviewed(infant/toddlercareversusfamilychildcareorpreschoolcenter-basedcare).

AnnualprogramreviewsinvolvingindependentERS,CLASS,orPARSassessmentsareexpensive,anditisimportanttogiveprogramssufficienttimetoinstituteimprovementsbetweenassess-ments.Thus,initialideasforQRISoversightsuggestconductingtheassessmentseverytwotothreeyears.Someprograms,suchasthosewithTitle22licensingviolationsandkeystaffturn-over,mighttriggermorefrequentQRISratings.Ifpossible,itwouldbeadvisabletousethepilotprojectstocheckthecostandrelativeimpactonprogramqualityimprovementofconductingQRISratingsatone-versustwo-orthree-yearintervals.

33

nexT Teps foR ualiTyimpRovemenT ThRough The QRis

ThenextstepstodevelopCalifornia’sQRISaretoprogressivelyimplement,andcontinuouslyimprove,astrategicframeworkthatbuildsonthestrengthsofCalifornia’sexistingearlylearn-ingandcareinfrastructure;isinformedbyevidence-basedpractices;andmakesthebestuseofexisting,aswellasnew,resources.ThisreportconcludestheAdvisoryCommittee’sofficialrole,anditsworkwillcontinueundertheauspicesoftheCalifoniaStateAdvisoryCouncilonEarlyChild-hoodEducationandCare(EarlyLearningAdvisoryCouncil–ELAC).TheGovernor’sExecutiveOrder(S-23-09)inNovember2009establishedELACasthefirststepinmakingCaliforniaeligibleforfederalfundsavailablethroughtheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActtosupportimprovementsinearlylearningandcare.TheCouncil’smembershipincludesthe13membersoftheCAELQISAdvisoryCommittee,plusadditionalmembers.ELAC’sfirstsuccesswastodevelopanapplication,approvedinSeptember2010,forfederalfundstosupportimprovementsinearlylearningandcare.Projectsincludeastatewidestrategicplan,QRISpilotprojects,anearlylearningandcaredatasystemassessmentandanalysis,andEarly Childhood Educator Competenciesimplementationprojects.

ThefederalgovernmentrecentlyissuedpolicydirectionsthatsupportCalifornia’sQRIS,includ-ingstrongerhealthandsafetystandardsforearlylearningandcaresettings,implementationofastatewideQRIS,effectiveprofessionaldevelopmentfortheadultsworkingwithyoungchildren,andstrengthenedprogramintegrity.Californiaiswell-positionedforadditionalresources.Suc-cesswilldependuponourpublicleaders’commitmentandourowndedicationtogarneringthepublicsupportnecessarytochampionthephasedimplementationandcontinuousimprovementoftheQRIStoensureoptimalearlylearningoutcomesforallCaliforniachildren.

s Q

36

DreamB IGfor our youngest children