At least 40 substantial Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) have developed in the last 10-15 years across the country. The challenge now is how to continue to improve the quality of the child care industry so children have better early learning and development experiences. Child Trends has just released a new evaluation of an effort to improve QRIS outcomes in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania’s Keystone Stars QRIS is similar to Wisconsin’s. Pennsylvania’s has 4,000 programs involved; Wisconsin has 4,100. Both programs have similar quality indicators, have similar Star systems, and have fiscal incentives including tiered reimbursement, quality grants, scholarships to teachers, and wage supplement programs. Both are finding it difficult for programs to achieve and maintain high quality, with particular challenges to sustain well-qualified staff over time.
The lessons learned from the Philadelphia evaluations include:
- Effective implementation of quality initiatives requires monitoring and flexibility to adjust policies and procedures;
- Collaboration across key partners from the ECE system is important for quality improvement initiatives;
- Financial incentives are an important component of a quality improvement initiative; and
- Supporting the ECE workforce is a key challenge for quality improvement initiatives.
The full evaluation report can found at:
http://www.childtrends.org/?publications=improving-quality-for-child-care-centers-in-greater-philadelphia-an-evaluation-of-success-by-6-2
