THE ECERS DEFINITION OF QUALITY AND ITS INTERNATIONAL USE DEBBY CRYER, PH.D. ENVIRONMENT RATING SCALES INSTITUTE, CHAPEL HILL, NC, USA

ECERS CHARACTERISTICS Observational instrument Used to see what children receive from their early childhood program environment in a sample of 3 hours Examines adult child interactions, access to materials and equipment indoors and outdoors, use of time, personal care routines 7 point scale from 1 (inadequate), 3 (minimal), 5 (good), 7 (excellent), with requirements listed at those levels. Midpoint scores of 2, 4, 6

HOW THE ENVIRONMENT RATING SCALES MEASURE QUALITY Global Process Quality: the complete environment that children experience, having a direct effect on their development. The ERS use hundreds of indicators of quality, none of which is important by itself. It is a combination of indicators that is important, not any one detail. It is not realistically possible to get a perfect score on the ERS. A score of 5 is considered the benchmark for high quality.

WHAT THE ECERS MEASURES: WHAT ALL CHILDREN NEED FOR SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIFIC OUTCOMES Chances for children to create a strong sense of self and to build positive relationships with other children and adults Appropriate learning opportunities that meet their wide range of developmental needs Protection of children’s health and safety

CHILDREN IN CLASSES WITH HIGHER ECERS SCORES HAVE REPEATEDLY BEEN FOUND TO DO BETTER ON OUTCOMES THAT ARE CONSIDERED IMPORTANT Language ability Pre-academic skills (math and reading readiness) Attitudes towards child care and perceptions of their own competence Relationships with teachers Social skills These differences are lasting

NOTE THAT SOME IMPORTANT CHILD OUTCOMES HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED, BUT THEY ARE STILL IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF WHAT THE ECERS EVALUATES Accident rates Health status (illness, physical condition) Self-help skills Distress in the early childhood program Creativity in thinking Creativity in the arts Science knowledge Social Studies information

USED IN MANY COUNTRIES

WHY DOES IT WORK?? Measures across curricular approaches It is flexible…when there are cultural differences, they do not often have a great affect on overall scores People in many different countries want similar things for their children All children depend on certain inputs to achieve specific outcomes—children in different countries are more the same than different