Using a State Child Care Quality Rating System to Promote Quality in Afterschool Programs

This strategy brief examines one strategy for improving quality, namely, using a State quality rating system (QRS) to assess after-school programs and the needs of school-age children. The brief explores how States can use their existing or newly emerging rating system to more strategically promote after-school program quality. It also shares State strategies for aligning the rating system with broader after-school professional development efforts. Key elements of the QRS include: standards above licensing regulations, accountability through assessment and monitoring, program and practitioner outreach and support, financing incentives specifically linked to compliance with quality standards, and parent education on how to understand and use the QRS. Involving the after-school program community in the planning process helps ensure that the unique needs of after-school programs are well represented in discussions about the scope of a QRS, the quality standards, and the implementation of these standards. A table is included to highlight QRS adaptations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Missouri.

Report.pdf