2008

This report details what was learned from the piloting of BrightStars, Rhode Island's quality rating and improvement system. Substantial changes were made to BrightStars as a result of this pilot.

Report.pdf

This report includes chapters on the following topics:  1.  Early Childhood Policies From Ecological and Family Impact Perspectives; 2. Minnesota’s Early Childhood Populations; 3. What Is an Early Care and Education System?; 4. Why Should We Have an Early Childhood System and How Might It Look?; and 5. Unanswered Questions.

MinnesotaFamilyImpactReport.pdf

Revisiting and Updating the Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs Serving Children Ages Birth to Five

This report provides a crosswalk of the NAEYC accreditation system with other accreditation/assessment systems including the American Montessori Society, Head Start, and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The purpose of the crosswalk was to compare the other systems to determine the necessity and utility of the Connecticut Preschool and Readiness Standards. While this report was done specifically for Connecticut, readers will find it helpful since it compares different accreditation/assessment systems that states should be considering in their QRIS alignment efforts.

report.pdf

A study of the coaching process used to assist home- and center-based child care centers in the implementation of quality improvement plans and a Quality Rating Scale (QRS) in a large Midwestern city, based on a survey of 17 coaches’ descriptions of their work with the most challenging clients

This paper summarizes the challenges associated with expanding and enhancing the skills of the early care and education workforce to attract and retain qualified early childhood professionals. Strategies are presented for establishing an effective and efficient cross-sector system. Research suggests that collaboration and coordination should be modeled and promoted at a national level, and planning, implementation, and evaluation should be conducted at State and local levels to build a sustainable community-based foundation for more effective professional development.

This 2008 Microsoft PowerPoint by Zero to Three presents the implications of quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) for infant/toddler child care. It is important to define quality, measure quality, support quality, and consider QRIS within the larger early childhood system. States should examine their developing and existing QRIS to assure that their systems do not allow for loopholes in infant/toddler quality. Contact information is included for the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative.

This 2008 Microsoft PowerPoint presentation from the North Carolina Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development reviews the research on whether teacher education and/or training influences the quality of early care and education. Research is also presented that examines the interaction of education and training with other classroom factors. Supports that are needed for teachers include: (1) teacher preparation programs, (2) mentoring and supervision, (3) quality work environments, (4) increased salaries and benefits, (5) scholarships, and (6) online classes.

This Microsoft PowerPoint presents data to explore whether the quality of North Carolina child care has improved over time. It is examined whether center participation in Smart Start-funded activities has an effect on quality. Data show a significant relationship between Smart Start participation and classroom quality. The development and testing of a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is briefly addressed.

A report that details the findings of a provider survey that focused on provider perception of the most beneficial aspects of STARS and on ease of use of the various STARS resources.