Child Care Quality Rating Research Articles

Impacts of a child care quality rating and improvement system on child care quality

This evaluation rigorously assessed the implementation and impact of a child care Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) field test on child care quality as measured through child care quality observations and through ratings of a set of quality, education, and experience standards defined by policymakers and stakeholders. The 6-month QRIS intervention (implemented in 2009) consisted of four components: (1) quality standards in two areas, curriculum and learning environment and professional development and training; (2) a process for assigning ratings based on the quality standards; (3) a package of quality improvement supports for providers; and (4) financial incentives. A total of 52 family child care providers and 14 child care centers with demonstrated baseline equivalence participated in this experiment. Half of the family child care providers and half of the centers were randomly assigned to the QRIS treatment group or to a no-treatment control group. At the 6-month follow-up, the QRIS treatment group had significantly higher observed quality scores, but there was no impact on the overall QRIS rating. Implications for states developing or modifying QRIS and limitations of the evaluation are discussed.

Approaches to validating child care quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS): Results from two states with similar QRIS type designs

In recent years, child care quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) have become an increasingly popular policy tool to improve quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings and have been adopted in many localities and states. The QRIS proposition is that with higher-quality child care settings, it is more likely that children who attend those high-quality programs will benefit in terms of outcomes like school readiness. However, in order to demonstrate this linkage, QRIS standards and ratings must function as intended, i.e. be valid. This paper presents a framework for validating child care quality improvement standards and processes, along with examples from recent QRIS validation studies in two states. The state examples provide useful data about the strengths and limitations of these validation approaches. We discuss the implications of applying these approaches and provide recommendations to researchers, policy-makers, and program leaders who implement QRIS validation studies.

Improving QRISs through the use of existing data: A virtual pilot of the California QRIS

Available research underscores the value of using data to make and modify the many decisions required to design a child care quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). This paper argues for analyzing existing program data to address key questions and decisions in the early design stages of a QRIS, even in advance of pilot activities. We employed two datasets covering California ECE programs to provide cost-effective and timely input to policymakers for the proposed California QRIS, a block design system with five quality elements and five rating tiers. The first data source is the provider sample component of the 2007 RAND California Preschool Study (CPS), which represents all California providers. The second dataset derives from quality measurement of the ECE providers required to participate in San Francisco County's Gateway to Quality (GTQ) initiative. To address the study questions, we replicated as closely as possible the proposed QRIS rating structure for the available quality elements. Our “virtual pilot” analysis had limitations: we could examine only three of the five quality elements. Findings revealed that most programs in our statewide center-based sample would rate better on some quality elements than others. GTQ data revealed that center-based classrooms serving infants and toddlers did not score as well as those serving preschool-age children and home-based programs scored considerably lower on the applicable Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) than center-based programs.

Indiana Paths to QUALITY™: Collaborative Evaluation of a New Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement System

Research Findings: Developmental evaluation is a process in which researchers and program implementers communicate collaboratively to produce an evaluation that is attuned to critical program issues, provides useful data during program implementation, and results in rigorous methodology and findings informed by program conditions (M. Q. Patton, 1997). The implementation evaluation of Indiana's Paths to QUALITY™, a statewide quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), provides examples of this developmental evaluation process. Researchers and program leaders engaged in collaborative evaluation planning, QRIS standards validation, and review of formative data about the experiences of child care providers, parents, and children in the system. Frequent communication between evaluators and program implementers during the 4-year evaluation project resulted in (a) QRIS leaders having timely data that they used to fine-tune the program and (b) evaluators making needed adjustments in the research design and making more plausible interpretations of results. Examples of the collaborative evaluation process are given, with reflective comments provided by the state QRIS administrator. Practice or Policy: The collaborative strategies used in the implementation and evaluation of this state-level child care QRIS may be useful for other states or localities as they plan large-scale early care and education systems.