1. Massachusetts Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) Overview and Update

2. Overview What and Why of QRIS Massachusetts Process for Developing a QRIS Preliminary Recommendations Moving Forward

3. A Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS) is a method to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care & education and after-school settings. (Stair Steps to Quality, United Way Success by Six, p. 4) QRIS: Quality Rating and Improvement System

4. Why QRIS? QRIS are an early education and care market intervention that help address the tension between increasing standards to produce better outcomes for children and maintaining affordable prices for families. From Anne Mitchell

5. QRIS Creates a Structure to Organize Key Functions of an Early Education and Care System in MA Positive Outcomes for Children, Families and Communities Systems Planning, Monitoring, Accountability and Enforcement Family Education, Engagement and Support Standards for Programs, Practioners, and Children Support to Programs and Educators to Meet and Maintain Standards Financial Supports for Families

6. Slide from Anne Mitchell

7. Components of Massachusetts QRIS 1. Standards 2. Monitoring and Accountability 3. Program and Practitioner Supports 4. Fiscal Incentives 5. Family Information and Education and the overarching structure Each element will go through 3 phases – Design, Public Input, & Implementation

8. MA QRIS Timeline Standards Design Phase Public Input Implementation Monitoring & Accountability Design Phase Public Input Implementation Program and Practitioner Supports Design Phase Public Input Implementation Fiscal Incentives Design Phase Public Input Implementation Consumer Engagement Design Phase Public Input Implementation PILOT QRIS (Fall 2009) FULL IMPLEMENTATION (when funding) Feb 08| Jul 08| Dec 08| Jul 09| Dec 09| Jul 10 Today

9. 9 Design Process for the QRIS Structure and Standards EEC Internal QRIS Team EEC Board Parent Advisory EEC Advisory QRIS External Working Group (Subgroup of Advisory Committee) Drafts of the Standards now go to Public Input Phase

10. Standards Design Teams External Stakeholders Standards Design Team Mary Ann Anthony – Catholic Charities (representative of MADCA) Chad dEntremont – Early Education for All Marcia Farris – MassAEYC Jodi Figuerido – Institute for Education and Professional Development Barbara Finlayson – Hampshire Educational Collaborative Sarah Fujiwara – Horizons for Homeless Children Gwynn Hughes – Massachusetts After-school Partnership Kelty Kelley – Massachusetts Community Partnerships Councils Pam Kuechla – PACE Child Care Works / Massachusetts Child Care Resource and Referral Network Kay Lisseck – Schott Fellows Kathy Modigliani – Family Child Care Project Kathy Reticker – Acre Family Day Care (representative of MADCA) Grace Richardson – American Family Child Care Association, Ind. Family Child Care Provider Jim Robertson – Plowshares Jason Sachs/Karen Silver – Boston Public Schools Ronna Schaffer – MA Head Start Association Peg Sprague – United Way of Mass Bay and the Merrimack Valley Nancy Topping-Tailby – MA Head Start Association Donna Traynham – MA Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education Libby Zimmerman – Connected Beginnings Internal EEC Standards Design Team Phil Baimas, Prof. Dev. and Regulation Pat Cameron, Special Education Amy Checkoway, UPK and Quality Joan Clark, IT Gail DeRiggi, Family Support Nancy Doyle, Quality Joyce Holen, Regional Licensing Annette Lamana, Quality Jennifer Louis, Research Dave McGrath, Licensing Larisa Mendez-Penate, Comp Services Anita Moeller, Programs Deena Papanikolaou, Legal Kelli Piligian, Regional Licensing Alda Rego, Finance Pam Roux, Prof. Dev. Rod Southwick, Research Matt Veno, Communications Tom Weierman, Legal Corey Zimmerman, QRIS and Research

11. MA QRIS Overarching Structure: Preliminary Recommendations Include licensed and license-exempt programs and providers serving children birth – 14 years of age. Voluntary participation initially, eventually may be mandatory to receive certain funding. Design of standards should consider different setting types. Recognize and incorporate existing quality standards, such as Head Start, NAEYC and NAFCC Hybrid of mandatory criteria plus points to move to next level. Provide financial and other quality supports during implementation.

12. MA QRIS Standards: Preliminary Recommendations Five levels of quality defined in draft standards with combination of required criteria and more flexible points. Nine categories within draft standards*: Relationships Physical Environment Leadership and Management Health and Safety Curriculum and Assessment Community Involvement Family Involvement Program Evaluation Workforce Quality and Support *Special Education & Cultural Competence embedded across categories of draft standards. Three versions of draft standards by program type: Center/school-based Family child care School-age

13. Center/School-Based Standards DRAFT Level 1: Full licensing with no action to revoke, or Programs operated and overseen by a local education agency (i.e. license-exempt programs) 1 Level 2: Programs must earn at least 36 points and at least 4 points must be earned in each standard area Level 3: Programs must earn at least 72 points and at least 8 points must be earned in each standard area Level 4: Current accreditation from NAEYC, or If a Head Start designee, receipt of a Blue or Gold letter from the Office of Head Start as a result of the triennial review process Level 5: Current accreditation from NAEYC, and Every classroom has a teacher with a Bachelors degree or higher in a related field, and Programs which are operated and overseen by a local education agency (i.e. license-exempt) must demonstrate that they meet all EEC licensing requirements for group programs 1 Need to insert appropriate language for other types of license- exempt programs, i.e. Catholic, Montessori

14. Moving Forward with QRIS Next 6 months Standards out for public review Design of Monitoring & Accountability component Design and begin implementation of the Program and Practitioner Supports component Continue communication with the field to gather input Next 1-2 years Design Fiscal Incentives component Pilot QRIS rating system and quality supports Align with other EEC initiatives Income Eligible Re-procurement UPK Workforce Taskforce recommendations FY10 Budget

15. Seeking EEC Board Guidance on: Preliminary recommendations and structure of standards Key questions for public input phase Feedback/thoughts on other elements of MA QRIS For more information: http://www.eec.state.ma.us/QRIS.aspx http://www.eec.state.ma.us/QRIS.aspx