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QRS Goals and Objectives

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. A QRS can also be a strategy for aligning components of the early and school-age care system for increased accountability in improving care. Additional information about QRS is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.govtopics/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 are the stated goals and/or objectives of a sample of statewide QRS. This does not include goals and/or objectives for all statewide QRS. NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

QRS Goals And/Or Objectives

District of Columbia : Going for the Gold

  • Reward programs that excel;
  • Increase quality of care for children and families in the District of Columbia;
  • Bring new providers into the subsidy program;
  • Increase subsidy slots;
  • Increase compensation for providers; and
  • Help consumers be more informed about options.

Kentucky : STARS for KIDS NOW Child Care Quality Rating System

  • Increase quality of child care for all children;
  • Reward and improve child care quality;
  • Provide consumer awareness and guidance; and
  • Increase capacity for subsidy children in higher quality programs.

Maine: Quality for ME

  • Recognize child care programs that provide quality care;
  • Encourage providers to increase their level of quality; and
  • Provide parents with identifiable standards of quality.

Maryland : Maryland Child Care Tiered Reimbursement Program

  • Promote a well-qualified workforce;
  • Increase the amount of Purchase of Care payments to child care programs;
  • Promote a high level of program quality through application of standards for program accreditation and environment rating scales; and
  • Encourage parent involvement in child care settings.

Oklahoma: Reaching for the Stars

  • Increase the training and education of child care providers, thereby improving the overall quality of care;
  • Provide parents with a method to evaluate child care; and
  • Increase the reimbursement that child care providers receive and increase slots for low-income families

Updated September 2008

 
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