Standards & Standards Alignment

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 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.

This fact sheet presents special considerations in developing early learning guidelines (ELGs) for infants and toddlers. The difference between ELGs and program standards is discussed. ELGs are research-based, measurable expectations about what children should know (i.e., understand) and do (i.e., competencies and skills) in different domains of learning. Program standards are expectations about the characteristics or quality of child care settings.

This Microsoft PowerPoint presentation looks at the point of intersection between professional development (PD) systems and quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). It is shown that in 2006, 76 percent of States have a PD system. The author presents a series of questions to move the research forward.

This document by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) outlines standards for the preparation of early childhood professionals. Well-prepared early childhood professionals should be able to promote child development and learning; build family and community relationships; observe, document, and assess young children and programs; use developmentally effective teaching and learning strategies; and identify with the early childhood profession.

This policy paper argues that maintaining and increasing the diversity of the early care and education workforce is critically important to attaining successful developmental and learning outcomes for America's increasingly diverse communities. Most school readiness efforts share an explicit commitment to reducing the disproportionately poor educational outcomes experienced by low-income and cultural and linguistic minority children and families. Programs need staff that can interact with children using the cultural orientations and spoken and written languages used in the home.

This report discusses standards that are designed to describe effective practices in out-of-school time care and to institute guidelines for policy and programs. Citywide After-School Initiatives have moved in different directions along the issue of standards. Having a set of standards available can guide the allocation of funds, promote consistency, create goals for staffing and program development, and stimulate strategic planning.