Birth to Five: What’s the Big Deal? Steps to Quality May 4, 2013

Virginia Star Quality Initiative The Virginia Star Quality Initiative is Virginia’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). A QRIS is a method used nationally to assess, improve and communicate the level of quality of early care and education programs. Star Quality is voluntary. It was developed to provide a consistent method to distinguish and improve the quality in early care and education programs, empowering families to make informed choices about the care of their young children. In addition, Star Quality provides opportunities and incentives for early learning providers to continually improve the quality of their services.

National QRIS Status

Virginia Star Quality Initiative Helping families identify high quality child care and preschool options for their young children Assisting child care and preschool programs in providing high quality early care and education and recognizing them for the services they provide The Star Quality Initiative was designed with two primary purposes:

Partnerships VDSS O FFICE OF E ARLY C HILDHOOD D EVELOPMENT Virginia Early Childhood Foundation The Hub VDSS/OECD and VECF work in partnership to serve as the Hub and coordinate state-level activities VDSS contracts with 8 Regional Lead agencies to implement QRIS Local early childhood coalitions or organizations work with these regional leads and the Hub to recruit programs and coordinate activities locally

Eligible Participants Private licensed child day centers (for-profit and non-profit) Religious-exempt child day centers Public programs, like the Virginia Preschool Initiative and Head Start Licensed Family Day Homes & Family Day Homes Regulated by Local Ordinance

Why Quality Matters Birth-five: Critical time for growth and development 75% of our brain develops after birth, most of which occurs in the first five years of life Early experiences are most critical in a child’s brain development Source: Brain Connections

What’s the Big Deal? 1 in 7 children in Virginia is not ready to enter school 9,000 children repeat a grade between kindergarten and 3rd grade, costing Virginians $80 million each year Of 50 children who have trouble reading in 1 st grade, 44 will still have trouble in 4 th grade. Only 7 out of 10 9 th graders today will earn a high school diploma. Only 27% of the American adult population has earned a college degree.

Change the First 5 Years and You Change Everything

How Can You Make Difference? Early high quality care means that children are engaging in meaningful learning and play, guided by qualified caregivers in an enriched educational environment. Children’s interactions with adults are important! Children with access to high quality child care programs are more likely to acquire the skills they need to enter kindergarten ready to succeed and adapt to new learning and social environments.

Star Quality Participating programs can demonstrate their quality at 5 different levels across 4 nationally recognized standards of quality Consistent method of documentation review is required at all levels; to reach the highest levels an on-site observation by a reliable and highly trained Star Quality Rater is required Each quality level includes improvement activities that build the foundation for success in the next level with FREE supports tailored to fit your program’s needs, like:  Online professional development series  Group Trainings and Learning Communities  Peer-to-Peer to Mentoring  On-site Coaching from highly trained specialists

Star Quality Standards For Classroom-Based Programs and Family Child Care Homes: Education & Qualifications, and Training (assessed by documentation) Curriculum & Assessment (assessed by documentation & observation) Learning Environment (assessed by observation using ERS) Interactions (assessed by observation using CLASS) Requirements Specific quality standards that must be met to achieve a particular Level within the Star Quality Initiative. Requirements define the quality Levels. Activities Specific quality improvement activities that must be completed to progress to the next Level within the Star Quality Initiative. Activities build the foundation for success in subsequent Levels.

Assessment Instruments Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Environment Rating Scales (ERS) For more info, go to: For more info, go to:

LEVEL 1: Basic Health & Safety Requirements: Early learning programs must be in good standing with all requirements of their regulating authority. “In good standing” indicates that while there may be noncompliance with one or more standards that represent a minor or minimal risk or violation, compliance clearly and obviously exists with the standards as a whole.

LEVEL 2: Education & Qualifications Requirements Early learning programs must meet all Level 1 requirements, register in the QRIS online system/Professional Development Registry, and complete a Health & Safety checklist. Classroom or Center-based Programs  At least one (1) Administrator/Director meets Level 6 on Virginia’s Early Childhood Career Lattice 1 OR has earned 24 child-related credits from an accredited college  At least 50% of Lead Teachers meet Level 3 on Virginia’s Early Childhood Career Lattice 2 OR another approved credential, such as an American Montessori Society Credential Family Child Care Homes  The Family Child Care Provider responsible for the direct supervision of children and delivery of the curriculum and instruction meets Level 3 on Virginia’s Early Childhood Career Lattice 2 OR another approved credential, such as an American Montessori Society Credential Alternative pathways are available at Level 2 1 Associate degree in a relevant field with a minimum of 15 child-related credits 2 National Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) OR 12 total child-related credits

LEVEL 2: Education & Qualifications Alternative Pathways There are two alternative pathways at Level 2 that programs may choose to use if they do not meet the requirements. Professional Development Plan  Submit a professional development plan via the QRIS website detailing how the programs plans to support staff in reaching the education & qualification requirements  Online training is available on developing professional development plans and programs can request additional technical assistance from their local coordinator Waiver  Request a waiver to the education & qualification requirements  To be granted a waiver, a program must meet all requirements of Level 3 and have an on-site observation conducted where they demonstrate that they also meet the Level 4 or 5 requirements  Programs that have an on-site observation, but do not meet the Level 4 or 5 requirements will not be granted a waiver

LEVEL 2: Education & Qualifications Activities Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes  Complete Star Quality Professional Development, available through the QRIS online system or through the QRIS region, on: o Inclusion o Kindergarten transition o Strengthening Families o Cultural Competence o Curriculum and Assessment using Virginia’s Milestones for Child Development and Foundation Blocks for Early Learning o High Quality Interactions using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) o Play-Based Learning Environments using the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) o Creating Professional Development Plans (required for Administrators/Directors and Family Child Care Providers who employ staff) o Conducting Employee Orientation (required for Administrators/Directors and Family Child Care providers who employ staff)

LEVEL 3: Curriculum & Assessment Requirements Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes Completion of curriculum & assessment checklist through the online QRIS system, to demonstrate selection and use of curriculum or other teaching framework aligned with Virginia’s Milestones of Child Development and/or Foundation Blocks for Early Learning 1 Documentation of at least 8 hours of training on implementing the identified curriculum or teaching framework Visit by an external validator to confirm accuracy of curriculum & assessment checklist through on-site observation (must be completed within 1 year of awarding Level 3 status) 1 Alignment with the Foundation Blocks for Early Learning is required for all Virginia Preschool Initiative classrooms

Activities Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes Participate in regional/locally supported activities on Curriculum & Assessment, ERS, and CLASS Complete Environment Rating Scale (ERS) self-study using the appropriate tool for the ages served and setting Complete Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) self-study using the appropriate tool for ages served or participate in the Effective Classroom Interactions online course, if offered Develop a quality improvement plan (QIP) based on the ERS and CLASS self-study (programs that have received an on-site observation using CLASS/ERS should develop a QIP using this feedback) LEVEL 3: Curriculum & Assessment

LEVEL 4: Environment & Interactions Requirements Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes Achieve an average ERS score of 4 or higher across four subscales (Language-Reasoning/Listening and Talking, Activities, Interaction, and Program Structure) Achieve an average CLASS score of 5 or higher in Emotional Support & Classroom Organization (Pre-K CLASS), Emotional and Behavioral Support (Toddler CLASS), and Relational Climate & Teacher Sensitivity (Infant CLASS) Achieve an average CLASS score of 3.25 or higher in Instructional Support (Pre-K CLASS), Engaged Support for Learning Score (Toddler CLASS), and Facilitated Exploration & Early Language Support (Infant CLASS)

LEVEL 4: Environment & Interactions Activities Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes Participate in regional/locally supported activities on CLASS and ERS Develop a quality improvement plan based on feedback from the CLASS and ERS observation

LEVEL 5: Environment & Interactions Requirements Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes Achieve an average ERS score of 5 or higher across four subscales (Language-Reasoning/Listening and Talking, Activities, Interaction, and Program Structure) Achieve an average CLASS score of 6 or higher in Emotional Support & Classroom Organization (Pre-K CLASS), Emotional and Behavioral Support (Toddler CLASS), and Relational Climate & Teacher Sensitivity (Infant CLASS) Achieve an average CLASS score of 4.25 or higher in Instructional Support (Pre-K CLASS), Engaged Support for Learning Score (Toddler CLASS), and Facilitated Exploration & Early Language Support (Infant CLASS)

LEVEL 5: Environment & Interactions Activities Classroom or Center-based Programs and Family Child Care Homes Participate in regional/locally supported activities on CLASS and ERS Develop a quality improvement plan based on feedback from the CLASS and ERS observation

Importance of Interactions Both CLASS and ERS scores determine whether programs reach Level 4 or 5. However, the primary focus in these levels is the program's performance on the CLASS, due to the strong link between high quality teacher-child and peer interactions and the development of children's "executive function" skills Executive function skills are more strongly related to school readiness than IQ or entry-level reading and math skills (Diamond, Barnett, Thomas & Munro, 2007) Children with greater executive function skills: –Perform better on early math and reading measures (Blair & Razza, 2007) –Have better social emotional outcomes (McClelland, Cameron, Wanless, & Murray, 2007) –Develop critical skills such as teamwork, decision-making, working toward goals, and critical thinking (Harvard CDC, 2011)

Quality Assessment Timeframes LevelTimeframeData Required Level 1AnnuallyDemonstration of good standing with regulatory authority Level 2AnnuallyDemonstration of Level 1 requirements Update Staff Education & Qualification data online Level 3AnnuallyDemonstration of Level 1 & 2 requirements Update Curriculum & Assessment data online Curriculum & Assessment checklist visit Level 4Annually Every 3 years Demonstration of Level 1-3 requirements CLASS & ERS on-site observation by a Star Quality Rater Level 5Annually Every 3 years Demonstration of Level 1-3 requirements CLASS & ERS on-site observation by a Star Quality Rater

“They’re not here to grade us, they’re here to help us.”

Resources Websites: (insert local website info) For more information contact the Star Quality Hub: VDSS/OECD – VECF – (insert Star Quality Coordinator contact info)