quality counts overview
TRANSCRIPT
Quality Counts
Miami-Dade County’s Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS)
What is a QRIS?
• QRIS is a way to measure, identify, and improve the quality in early care and education settings
• QRIS is a nationwide movement to look at and improve quality care for young children
Why do we need QRIS?
• QRIS has expanded dramatically across the U.S. in the past decade because:
• research has found a link between high-quality early experiences and positive outcomes for children
• few early care and education programs in the U.S. are high quality
Quality Counts is Miami-Dade’s QRIS
• measures the quality of early care and education (ECE) programs using several evidence-based standards of quality
• identifies ECE programs’ current level of quality
• provides supports to improve ECE programs’ level of quality
• gives families an easy way of understanding quality by using a Star rating system
What are the goals of Quality Counts?
1. To develop high quality early care and education for our children through the voluntary participation
2. To improve quality through supports and incentives
3. To provide families with an easy-to-use tool to recognize quality
How does Quality Counts improve quality?
• Supports available to ECE programs can include:
– technical assistance
– professional development
– career advising
– incentive grants and awards
– system building
– accreditation assistance
How do I know if a program is high quality?
• ECE programs in Quality Counts will get a Star Rating according to several evidence-based standards of quality.
• Ratings range from Star 1 to Star 5.
• All Star Ratings are posted on the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe’s website.
Find More Information:
ELC website
www.elcmdm.org/qualitycounts
QC Provider Portal
www.miamiqualitycounts.org
