Quality Improvement & Technical Assistance

The QRIS Resource Guide is intended as a tool for States and communities to explore key issues and decision points during the planning and implementation of a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS).[1] The Guide is divided into eight sections. Each section contains a set of questions, with guidance for addressing the questions, for States to consider and discuss when planning, implementing, or revising a QRIS.

On June 3rd, 2010, Afterschool Investments held a webinar on the inclusion of school-age programs in State QRIS for the Child Care Bureau, State staff, and other interested stakeholders. During the event, AIP explored key considerations for States looking to design or enhance State/Territory quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) to include school-age programs. State representatives from Oklahoma and Vermont shared their approaches to including school-age programs in QRIS and addressed challenges, successes, and lessons learned.

Most state QRIS use measures of program quality applicable to the age range served. This document identifies the program quality tool each state uses, how the assessment is used in the QRIS, and how the assessment is linked to program quality improvement.

This audi-conference address issues related to building integrated systems of workforce preparation and Quality Rating and Improvement Systems.

This report addresses how Minnesota's three scholarship program interventions been implemented (i.e., parent mentoring, receipt of scholarship funds and attendance in high-quality early childhood education [ECE] programs, and participation in the Parent Aware program rating system), including which types of ECE programs are responding to the scholarship programs.

This report covers 18 months of the Minnesota Parent Aware QRIS pilot from July, 2008 through December, 2009, and is part of the process evaluation of the program.  The report addresses the supply of programs and the tuition rates charged by programs in the pilot areas, provides a synthesis of data from multiple sources to describe the number and percent of eligible programs that have enrolled in Parent Aware, their patterns of enrollment, and the star ratings received by those programs.

This powerpoint explores the roles and responsibilities of quality improvement consultants and explores characteristics of effective consultants and the agencies that employ them.

This document highlights the Partners in Quality for Early Learning initiative, the accreditation project, the quality rating system, scholarship initiatives, and a compensation initiative. Lessons learned about Kansas City's experience in attempting to build a system of quality early learning throughout the metropolitan area are discussed.

A discussion of how to build a QRIS that considers and honors the cultures of providers, children and families.

Definition of QRIS, common system elements, and links to state quality rating and improvement system website.