Consumer Education and Engagement

This 2007 Minnesota report presents key findings from a survey of parents on the factors that influence their choice of a child care provider and what they consider to be a good quality child care program. Data are intended to inform the development of a child care information/rating system.

This resource includes summaries of the five common elements around which QRIS are built. Examples from state systems are included to illustrate each element

webreport.docx

A cross-state chart comparing the QRIS delivery system infrastructure in Colorado, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

A study of differences by race and ethnicity in welfare leavers' preference for various characteristics of child care settings, including the role of Pennsylvania's Quality Rating System in informing parents' child care choices.

An identification of issues regarding the State of Florida

A guide for implementing a QRIS, including guidance for the early planning stage, the development and assessment of standards, the use of incentives to encourage quality improvement, the financing of the system, and the outreach to promote parental awareness of the system.

Report.pdf

A guide to developing, implementing, and evaluating a child care quality initiative involving the collection and dissemination of child care quality indicator information to parents.

This briefing paper informs policymakers about the level of quality observed in child care centers in Minnesota, the characteristics of programs that provide higher quality care, and the resources needed by child care centers to improve quality. Nationally recognized observational tools were used (i.e., the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised and the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Scale) to document activities and interactions and to track quality benchmarks in 100 randomly selected classrooms serving children (aged 3-5 years) in Minnesota child care centers.

This document describes what quality rating systems (QRS) are, why they matter, and how to advocate for them in early care and education. Quality is defined by five core elements: (1) standards, (2) accountability, (3) outreach to programs and providers, (4) financing incentives specifically linked to the standards, and (5) parenting education to empower families to use the QRS effectively. Research indicates that QRS can provide an accurate graded indicator of program quality.

This 2007 document presents recommendations by the Michigan Quality Rating and Improvement System (MQRIS) Workgroup for a child care quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) in Michigan. Two parallel tracks are recommended for quality rating (i.e., one for licensed center-based care and one for registered family home providers and licensed group home providers). All registered family home providers and licensed providers will have the opportunity to achieve the first tier of quality upon licensure (or registration for family home providers). Participation in the QRIS is voluntary.