Abstract
Abstract This 10 year overview of a citywide program implemented to improve the quality of childcare and education in San Francisco provides a description of critical issues related to implementation of an assessment process as well as factors that influence success related to initiating and sustaining quality improvement efforts in early care and education (ECE). The population of interest included all licensed childcare programs and family childcare homes in the city and county of San Francisco receiving public funding and those serving families with subsidies. The assessment tool chosen by city childcare leaders was the Environmental Rating Scales (ERS) for preschool, infant toddler and family childcare sites. Quality improvement plans were developed based on the results of the assessment of each classroom or family childcare home, followed by technical assistance targeted at improving the quality of the environment and teaching practice. Because assessment scores are currently tied to city funded subsidies, motivation for participation in the program becomes a critical factor for those programs that depend on the subsidies. Lessons learned can support other endeavors to improve the quality of childcare and education and include engaging ECE teachers in intentional dialogue that results in internal motivation to improve the quality of their teaching, along with systemic supports that include teachers, families and funding streams to sustain quality care.
Highlights
There are strong demands for high quality early childhood learning experiences in the United States as many young children experience nonmaternal childcare during their early
The total number of sites participating in assessment since 2004 includes 277 family childcare homes and 204 childcare centers which contain a total of 563 classrooms
Implementing a comprehensive, citywide data collection system that can be used by both assessment and support services is recommended to reduce administrative burden, evaluate trends, and make data more accessible to participants and funders
Summary
This 10 year overview of a citywide program implemented to improve the quality of childcare and education in San Francisco provides a description of critical issues related to implementation of an assessment process as well as factors that influence success related to initiating and sustaining quality improvement efforts in early care and education (ECE). Many states and local communities are implementing a number of initiatives to improve the quality of childcare centers especially those that care and educate lower-income children Many of these initiatives include assessment of classroom quality using the Environment Rating Scales (ERS), including the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised (ECERS-R; Harms, Clifford & Cryer, 2005) for preschool classrooms, the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale Revised The ultimate goal of GTQ was to develop a systematic, coordinated and collaborative approach to provide high quality childcare and education to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in San Francisco by determining the baseline status of quality in early care and education, by implementing tri-annual assessments of classrooms and family childcare homes, and by providing technical assistance, along with fiscal and material resources to support improvement. The authors present an overview of GTQ, describe how assessments and support for quality improvement were provided, and discuss implications and key characteristics that appeared to influence sustainable quality improvement in early childhood education and care
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