Planning & Implementation

The approach chosen by a State to implement its QRIS depends on several factors, including the needs of the State, the goals of the system, and the State’s political context. For example, States that embed a QRIS in statute may have a history of rooting other programs in statute. Also, operationalizing a QRIS within statute depends on the type of system the State has chosen to implement. In a rated license system, each rated license is a property right that needs a repeals process to revoke, so it will require statutory language.

457_1210_QRIS_statute.pdf

CLASP’s guide aims to help states look beyond the major sources of child care and early education funding and consider alternative federal financing sources to bring comprehensive services into early childhood settings.

Report - Putting It Together Financing Johnson-Staub.pdf

For anyone who is developing a QRIS, revising a QRIS or responsible for an existing QRIS, this paper by Anne Mitchell is a must read in thinking strategically and critically about what to think about in structuring different elements of a Quality Rating and Improvement System.

Considerations for QRIS Standards.pdf

Anne Mitchell, co-founder of the Alliance for Early Childhood Finance, has created an Excel workbook called “GenericCostModel-Center2012”. This memo provides information on the workbook, which is a cost modeling tool for a center-based ECE program.

CostModelWorkbookMemo.pdf

Anne Mitchell, co-founder of the Alliance for Early Childhood Finance, has created an Excel workbook called “GenericCostModel-Center2012”. This workbook is a cost modeling tool for a center-based ECE program.

CostModelCenterWorkbookTool.xls_.xls

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released a publication, Starting Strong III: A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care) (2012).

This overview from the National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement provides information on how quality rating and improvement systems are embedded into policy at the state level through statute and regulation.

Report.pdf

Many studies have shown that higher-quality early care and education (ECE) predicts positive developmental gains for the children who experience it. However, much ECE in the United States is not of sufficiently high quality to produce these benefits.

This brief by the National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement is an examination of current standards that apply to varied types of early care and education programs. It contains an overview of the types of program quality standards in States, discusses challenges faced by States in establishing a common set of standards, and describes the applicability of standards to varied programs and settings for young children.

Report.pdf

Written by noted consultant Louise Stoney, this brief explores the ideas and trends related to QRIS that state leaders included in their Race to the Top/Early Learning Challenge applications.  It is designed to provide not only useful background information for state policymakers, funders, and nonprofit leaders, but also to stimulate discussion within the field about opportunities to advance high-quality 

LouiseStoneyMemo.pdf