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13 Jul 2013
Report

Local Quality Improvement Efforts and Outcomes Descriptive Study: Final Report

A Governor’s State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Project

Susan Muenchow, Aleksandra Holod, Heather Quick, Laura E. Hawkinson, Raquel L. González, Kiana Abram, Rachel A. Valentino, and Deborah Parrish, AIR
Gail L. Zellman, Jill S. Cannon, Lynn A. Karoly, Beth Katz, and Teryn Mattox, RAND Corporation

Quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) constitute an ambitious policy approach to improving early care and education practices and child outcomes. A QRIS is a uniform set of ratings, graduated by level of quality, used to assess and improve early learning and care programs. The objective ratings are intended to help families identify quality programs, guide providers in making improvements, and help policymakers make decisions about allocating resources and targeting technical assistance. A comprehensive QRIS also provides workforce development, financial incentives, and other supports to improve quality.

In December 2011, California won a federal Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant to develop a locally driven approach to establishing QRISs for early learning and care programs. In January 2013, a network of Early Learning Challenge Regional Leadership Consortia in 16 counties began implementing QRISs that expanded and strengthened pre-existing quality improvement initiatives.

The purpose of this study, conducted by AIR and the RAND Corporation, is to support the state of California and its counties in their efforts to build robust, evidence-based quality improvement systems. Specifically, the study:

  • summarizes information on QRISs in other states, including validation and impact studies of these systems;
  • describes the characteristics and strengths of pre-existing local initiatives in California;
  • reviews the planning and early implementation of the local QRISs supported by the RTT-ELC grant;
  • compares the elements of the pre-existing local systems with those proposed by the California Early Learning Quality Improvement System (CAEL QIS) Advisory Committee in 2010 and by the RTT-ELC Consortia in late 2012;
  • synthesizes information from existing evaluations of local quality improvement (QI) initiatives;
  • describes the characteristics of providers participating in local quality improvement systems (QISs) and QRISs and the children and families served by them, using data from select local systems;
  • identifies promising practices for program improvement and professional development (drawing on literature from other states as well as from California);
  • describes the dissemination of quality information to parents and describes how families use information to guide their early learning and care choices;
  • provides recommendations for refining the RTT-ELC Regional Leadership Consortia Quality Continuum Framework; and
  • offers suggestions for the implementation of local QRISs, for system monitoring and improvement, and for a state role in supporting these efforts.
PDF icon Local Quality Improvement Efforts and Outcomes Descriptive Study: Final Report (PDF)

Related Centers

Center

Center for Early Learning Systems

AIR's work in early care and education helps foster the development of high-quality early learning programs and the achievement of positive results for young children and their families. The purpose of the Center for Early Learning Systems is to offer practical tools, resources, and methodologies to assist with planning, implementing, and evaluating preschool and other school readiness programs.

Related Work

13 Aug 2016
Report

Independent Evaluation of California’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Cumulative Technical Report

The purpose of the Independent Evaluation of California’s Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge (RTT–ELC) Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is to inform California stakeholders about the ability of the QRIS to accurately measure program quality, differentiate programs with better learning outcomes for children, and provide quality improvement (QI) supports that meet program improvement needs.
Topic: 
Education, Early Childhood and Child Development
31 Aug 2015
Video

lss-ann-maire-faria-01_245x165.png

Ann-Marie Faria

Long Story Short: How Can Early Childhood Education Quality Ratings (QRIS) Ensure the Best Return on Our Investment in Six Million Children?

Recent federal efforts to expand access to early childhood education for six million children by 2020 have also increased attention about quality programming. In this video interview, Ann-Marie Faria, principal researcher, explains the role that Quality Rating and Improvement Systems have in communicating about quality to parents, programs, and policy makers.
Topic: 
Education, Early Childhood and Child Development
1 Feb 2017
Report

The “I” in QRIS Survey: Collecting Data on Quality Improvement Activities for Early Childhood Education Programs

A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a voluntary state assessment system that uses multidimensional data on early childhood education programs to rate program quality, support quality improvement efforts, and provide information to families about the quality of available early childhood education programs. This report describes three versions of a survey that helps states collect data, including how to use it, how it was developed, and how it can be adapted for other states.
Topic: 
Education, Afterschool and Expanded Learning, Early Childhood and Child Development

Further Reading

  • Independent Evaluation of California’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Cumulative Technical Report
  • Development and Implementation of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Midwest Region States
  • Moving Up the Ladder: How Do States Deliver Quality Improvement Supports Within Their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems?
  • Examining Ratings and Dimensions of Quality in an Early Childhood Education Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
  • Quality Improvement Efforts Among Early Childhood Education Programs Participating in Iowa’s Quality Rating System
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Susan Muenchow

Principal Researcher

Topic

Education
Early Childhood and Child Development

RESEARCH. EVALUATION. APPLICATION. IMPACT.

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