States and Territories are involved in a variety of activities to improve the availability and quality of early and school-age care programs. Most often these activities are supported by quality set-aside funds from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). A growing number of States use CCDF funds to create quality rating systems (QRS). A QRS is a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early and school-age care programs. Similar to rating systems for restaurants and hotels, QRS award quality ratings to early and school-age care programs that meet a set of defined program standards. These systems, which may also be called quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), provide an opportunity for States to increase the quality of care for children; increase parents’ understanding and demand for higher quality care; and increase professional development of child care providers. QRS can also be a strategy for aligning components of the early and school-age care system for increased accountability in improving quality of care. Additional information about QRS is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/topics/topic/index.cfm?topicId=44.
All QRS are composed of five common elements: (1) standards; (2) accountability measures; (3) program and practitioner outreach and support; (4) financing incentives; and (5) parent/consumer education efforts. Currently, 17 States (Colorado, District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont) have a statewide QRS.
The following includes summaries of the five common elements around which QRS are built. Examples from State QRS are included to illustrate each element. These examples do not include all States that have a QRS, but are meant to represent a range of approaches States have taken to develop/implement these systems. NCCIC does not endorse any practice, organization, publication, or resource.
All QRS are composed of five common elements: (1) standards; (2) accountability measures; (3) program and practitioner outreach and support; (4) financing incentives; and (5) parent/consumer education efforts. The following are descriptions of each of the five elements, including examples from States with a QRS.
QRS standards are used to assign ratings to programs that participate in QRS, providing parents and the public with information about each program’s quality. States typically use licensing standards as the starting point, or base of the system, on which higher levels of quality standards are built. Every QRS contains two or more levels of standards beyond licensing, with incremental progressions to the highest level of quality as defined by the State. Systems vary in the number of levels and the number of standards identified in each level. The types of standards used by QRS to assign ratings are based on research about the characteristics of programs that produce positive child outcomes. Categories of standards in statewide QRS include the following:
States have developed three methods for assigning ratings:
Accountability and monitoring processes are used to determine how well programs meet QRS standards, assign ratings, and verify ongoing compliance. Monitoring also provides a basis of accountability for programs, parents, and funders by creating benchmarks for measuring quality improvement.
In most States, QRS is monitored by the licensing agency alone or in partnership with the subsidy agency or a private entity. Most often, monitoring is conducted by separate QRS staff within the licensing agency. Most States monitor annually, but some monitor more frequently.
States use a variety of approaches for monitoring QRS standards—onsite monitoring visits, program self-assessment, and document review and verification. States also rely on monitoring conducted through State licensing to ensure minimum requirements are met, and program assessments conducted by accrediting bodies to determine whether programs have met accreditation standards.
Support for providers, such as training, mentoring, and technical assistance, are included in QRS to promote participation and help programs achieve higher levels of quality.
All States currently have professional development support systems to assist practitioners. These systems organize training opportunities, recognize practitioners’ achievements, and create quality parameters for available training. States can use these systems to help programs meet higher professional development standards and progress toward higher QRS ratings.
States also promote participation in QRS by providing technical assistance. A mentor or coach can be assigned to a program to facilitate the rating process. In addition, partnerships can be formed with existing technical assistance providers in the State, such as child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies, and programs participating in the QRS can be given priority to receive this assistance. Some States invest in specialized support, such as support regarding caring for infants and toddlers or integrating children with special needs.
In most States, QRS is voluntary, so States conduct outreach activities to promote the QRS goals and encourage programs to participate. States have done this in a variety of ways:
QRS use financial incentives to help child care programs improve learning environments, attain higher ratings, and sustain long-term quality. Financial support can be a powerful motivator for participation in QRS. All statewide QRS provide financial incentives of some kind, including higher reimbursement rates linked to the CCDF child care subsidy system, bonuses, quality grants, or merit awards; loans linked to quality ratings; and priority to applications for practitioner wage initiatives, scholarships, or other professional development supports.
In addition to financial incentives, States may want to consider the administrative costs of designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the QRS. Costs are affected by the number of participating programs; how many of the quality standards involve criteria that must be observed directly through onsite visits (e.g., criteria measured by environment rating scales); whether separate monitoring and/or outreach staff are hired or existing staff are used, such as from the licensing agency or CCR&R agencies; and the amount of program support needed, such as technical assistance and professional development. Funds needed for automation systems and any evaluation of QRS effectiveness may vary widely, depending on the scope of the system and other factors.
QRS provide a framework for educating parents about the importance of quality in early care and education. Most QRS award easily recognizable symbols, such as stars, to programs to indicate the levels of quality and inform and educate parents. Easy and widespread access to information on ratings is important. Many States post ratings on Web sites, while others promote QRS through media, posters, banners, certificates, decals, pins, and other items that are displayed by rated programs. In addition, CCR&R agencies play a vital role in parent education.
September 2008