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1 Mar 2017
Report

Quality Improvement Efforts Among Early Childhood Education Programs Participating in Iowa’s Quality Rating System

Laura Hawkinson, Ann-Marie Faria, Nora Bouacha, Dong Hoon Lee, and Ivan Metzger

States have prioritized documenting and improving the quality of early childhood education programs by developing quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs). This report describes the quality improvement efforts of early childhood education programs participating in Iowa’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system, the Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS).

The Iowa Quality Rating System Oversight Committee, which includes representatives of early childhood education programs and several state agencies and organizations in Iowa, requested Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest’s assistance in examining program quality improvement efforts in Iowa and how these efforts relate to increases in Iowa QRS ratings.

The findings of this study provide an overview of the landscape of quality improvement activities among early childhood education programs participating in the Iowa QRS and their relationship with increased ratings. These findings can help Iowa QRS administrators in planning and allocating resources to improve program quality. They can also help administrators of quality rating and improvement systems in other states understand more clearly the types of quality improvement activities to which programs are drawn naturally, as well as factors that may facilitate or impede programs in their pursuit of quality.

Quality Improvement Efforts Among Early Childhood Education Programs Participating in Iowa’s Quality Rating System

Related Work

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
27 Mar 2015
Report

Examining Ratings and Dimensions of Quality in an Early Childhood Education Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

Documenting and improving early childhood program quality is a national priority, leading to a rapid expansion of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs). QRISs document and improve the quality of early childhood education programs and provide clear information to families about their childcare choices. Findings from this study suggest that incremental changes to how QRIS ratings are calculated can alter inferences about program quality.
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

Further Reading

  • Long Story Short: How Can Early Childhood Education Quality Ratings (QRIS) Ensure the Best Return on Our Investment in Six Million Children?
  • The “I” in QRIS Survey: Collecting Data on Quality Improvement Activities for Early Childhood Education Programs
  • Examining Ratings and Dimensions of Quality in an Early Childhood Education Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
  • 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?
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Ann-Marie Faria

Ann-Marie Faria

Principal Researcher

Topic

Education
Early Childhood and Child Development

Related Center

Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest (REL Midwest)

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