Strengthening Families Through Quality Rating and Improvement Systems

This report describes the Early Childhood Initiative, which was developed to strengthen families through quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). The purpose of the work is to embed the Strengthening Families Protective Factor (SF/PF) Framework into all systems that touch the lives of young children and their families. The following objectives are proposed over a one-year time period: (1) convene a small National Advisory Council of key leaders in the early care and education field; (2) develop and distribute to States a reflective thinking tool that will help to create a snapshot of what States are doing and have done to embed the SF/PF Framework into QRIS; (3) develop and distribute to State Children's Trust Funds a fact sheet/learning tool on QRIS; (4) facilitate a peer-sharing network between three States (i.e., Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee); and (5) produce a final document with the State results and analysis of findings. The components of the SF/PF Framework are reviewed in order to clarify how it may be utilized to support high quality early care and education.