Early Childhood Systems Reform

The NAEYC Governing Board has approved revisions to the quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) section of the NAEYC Public Policy Program. The new language sets forth a vision for creating high-functioning QRIS that are also well-integrated into the broader state early care and education system.

Report.pdf

This powerpoint presentation provides an excellent "visual" as part of a webinar that was held focusing on the "Toward Better Policy for Early Care and Education in the United States."

BetterPolicyPowerpointFINAL.pdf

Early Learning Challenge: QRIS Planning Tool

This tool was created to assist states in their planning to meet the Early Learning Challenge guidelines for development and expansion of state Quality Rating and Improvement Systems.

QRISToolFinal.doc

Toward Better Policy for Early Care and Education in the United States: Resource Materials

This resource list was created as an accompaniment to the paper on "Towards Better Policy for Early Care and Education in the United States."

BetterPolicyWebinarHANDOUT.docx

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) and Head Start Alignment

This paper was developed in response to the many questions which arose during the 2011 Early Learning Challenge grant planning process when applicants were asked to align and integrate Head Start into their state quality rating and improvement system. The paper outlines some of the benefits and challenges of such an alignment process and poses questions for next steps that must be taken at the federal and state level to support greater alignment efforts in the future.

QRIS Head Start Alignment.pdf

Toward Better Policy for Early Care and Education in the United States

This brief, written by two of the foremost leaders in the early childhood field, provides a new way of thinking about ECE public policy that:

BetterPolicyPaper.doc

This brief summarizes two policy strategies for improving young children's learning and development which have largely operated independantly from one another: quality rating and improvement systems and P-3 alignment. The authors make recomendations as to how both early learning reform efforts can be individually strengthened as well as how they can be aligned with one another to build a stronger and more comprehensive system of care for children that is well positioned to close the acheivement gap.

The QRIS Resource Guide is intended as a tool for States and communities to explore key issues and decision points during the planning and implementation of a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS).[1] The Guide is divided into eight sections. Each section contains a set of questions, with guidance for addressing the questions, for States to consider and discuss when planning, implementing, or revising a QRIS.

QRISResourceGuide.pdf

In this podcast, Gerrit Westervelt, PhD, Executive Director of the BUILD Initiative explains how QRIS systems are evolving and what research is underway that can provide a better sense of the future of QRIS in measuring the quality of early learning programs.