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Questions for Planning and Implementing a Quality Rating System |
A Quality Rating System (QRS) is a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education programs. Similar to rating systems for restaurants and hotels, QRS award quality ratings to early care and education programs that meet a set of defined program standards. These systems provide an opportunity for States to increase the quality of care and education for children; increase parents’ understanding and demand for higher quality care; and increase professional development of child care providers. QRS can also be a strategy for aligning components of the early care and education system for increased accountability in improving quality of care.
As of November 2006, 14 States (Colorado, District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont) have a statewide QRS.
Questions to Consider
The following are suggested discussion questions that can be used as a State is considering the options and issues in the development (or expansion) of a QRS.
- Are the goals for the QRS clearly identified?
- Are all the potential stakeholders (i.e., families, programs, policy-makers, funders, business and political early learning champions, advocacy organizations, higher education, tribes, legislative leaders, professional associations, and other allies) at the table for the development and ownership of the system?
- Are the demographics of the early care and education profession known?
- Is there a strong licensing program in place?
- Will the system be voluntary or mandatory?
- Is there legislation mandating the development of the QRS? Will the QRS be established in State statute or through regulations?
- Will there be local pilots to test the system or will the QRS be implemented statewide immediately?
- What types of early childhood programs will be included (i.e., child care centers, family child care homes, school-age care programs, Head Start programs, preschools, state-funded prekindergarten programs, and/or license-exempt providers)?
- What are the categories of quality standards in the QRS? What are the criteria for compliance of each standard?
- Will the QRS ratings be based on building blocks of standards, earning points for meeting standards, a combination of both approaches, or another approach?
- How many levels of standards will be in the system? How will minimum licensing requirements be incorporated as the base or foundation for the levels? What will be the highest level?
- What existing standards will be incorporated into the QRS (i.e., accreditation, Head Start performance standards, early learning guidelines, professional development standards, etc.)?
- Are the differences in the quality levels too great? Are the steps too big between levels?
- If accreditation is included in the QRS, how will it be included? Which accrediting programs will be honored, and how will that determination be made?
- Are the compliance standards for maintaining a quality level clearly identified? How will compliance be monitored?
- What agency will monitor programs for compliance with the QRS standards? What monitoring procedures already exist, and what will need to be developed? How often will programs be monitored?
- What quality assessment methods will be used for rating programs? Will environment rating scales be used? Will scores on the environment rating scales be tied to QRS levels or used as a quality improvement tool?
- What support for programs and practitioners (i.e., technical assistance, professional development opportunities, etc.) currently exists and what needs to be developed?
- What methods of outreach will be used to recruit programs for the system? Are expectations for participation realistic?
- Are the financial incentives and support sufficient to encourage programs to participate in the QRS?
- If tiered reimbursement is used as a financing incentive, can early care and education programs be paid the higher reimbursement rate without impacting the rates of private-paying parents?
- What funding sources exist to finance and sustain the QRS, and what needs to be developed?
- What efforts will be used for parent and consumer education? Will symbols, such as stars, be used to signify program ratings?
- Have legal implications been considered as they relate to QRS?
- How will the system be evaluated?
Updated April 2007
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The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
