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Quality Rating Systems: Definition and Statewide Systems
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 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:
- Standards: QRS standards are built on the foundation of child care licensing requirements and add multiple steps between licensing and higher quality standards, such as those associated with accreditation.
- Accountability measures: Accountability and monitoring processes are used to determine how well programs meet QRS standards and to assign ratings.
- Program and practitioner outreach and support: Support for providers, such as training, mentoring, and technical assistance, are included to promote participation and help programs achieve higher levels of quality.
- Financing incentives: Financial incentives, such as tiered subsidy reimbursement (which pays a higher reimbursement rate to providers who care for children from families who receive CCDF subsidies and meet standards beyond minimum licensing), are awarded to programs when quality levels are achieved.
- Parent/consumer education efforts: Most QRS award easily recognizable symbols, such as stars, to programs to indicate the levels of quality and inform and educate parents.
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 is a list of the 17 statewide QRS, along with links to additional information about these systems.
QRS Nsme and Web Site
| State | Start Date | System Name and Web Site (When Available) |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 2000 | Qualistar Rating System www.qualistar.org |
| District of Columbia | 2000 | Going for the Gold Web site not available |
| Indiana | 2008 | Paths to QUALITY www.in.gov/fssa/carefinder/6447.htm |
| Iowa | 2006 | Iowa Quality Rating System www.dhs.state.ia.us/iqrs |
| Kentucky | 2001 | STARS for KIDS NOW Child Care Quality Rating System www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/ Early+Childhood+Development/STARS++for+KIDS+NOW+ %28Quality+Rating+System%29.htm |
| Louisiana | 2008 | Quality Start www.qrslouisiana.com |
| Maine | 2008 | Quality for ME www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/ qualityforme.htm |
| Maryland | 2001 | Maryland Child Care Tiered Reimbursement Program www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/ child_care/credentials/tiered |
| Montana | 2002 | Star Quality Child Care Rating System www.dphhs.mt.gov/programsservices/starqualitychildcare.shtml |
| New Hampshire | 2006 | Licensed Plus www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/CDB/licensedplus.htm |
| New Mexico | 2005 | Look for the Stars www.newmexicokids.org/caregivers |
| North Carolina | 1999 | North Carolina Star Rated License System http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/parents/pr_sn2_ov_sr.asp |
| Ohio | 2006 | Step Up to Quality http://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/stepUpQuality.stm |
| Oklahoma | 1998 | Reaching for the Stars www.okdhs.org/programsandservices/cc/stars/ |
| Pennsylvania | 2002 | Keystone STARS (Standards, Training, Assistance, Resources, and Support) www.dpw.state.pa.us/PartnersProviders/Child CareEarlyEd/KeyStoneStarChildCare www.pakeys.org/stars/Default.aspx |
| Tennessee | 2001 | Child Care Evaluation and Report Card Program (Required for all licensed and approved child care providers in Tennessee) http://state.tn.us/humanserv/adfam/ccrcsq.htm |
| 2001 | Star-Quality Child Care Program http://state.tn.us/humanserv/adfam/ccrcsq.htm |
|
| Vermont | 2003 | STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) www.STARSstepahead.org |
Updated September 2008
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NCCIC is a service of the Child Care Bureau (CCB), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Administration for Children and Families(ACF), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services