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
The Star Quality Initiative was designed with two
primary purposes:
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
Partnerships
VDSS OFFICE OF
EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT
•
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
Virginia Early
Childhood
Foundation
The
Hub
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
Brain Connections
Source: http://www.ala.org/alsc/issuesadv/borntoread/resources
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 1st grade, 44 will still have
trouble in 4th grade.
• Only 7 out of 10 9th 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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbSp88PBe9E
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)
For more info, go to: www.teachstone.com
Environment Rating Scales (ERS)
For more info, go to: www.ersi.info
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 Lattice1 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
Lattice2 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 Lattice2 OR another approved credential, such as an American Montessori
Society Credential
Alternative pathways are available at Level 2
1Associate
degree in a relevant field with a minimum of 15 child-related credits
2National 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 Learning1
• 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)
1Alignment
with the Foundation Blocks for Early Learning is required for all Virginia Preschool
Initiative classrooms
LEVEL 3: Curriculum & Assessment
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 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
Level
Timeframe
Data Required
Level 1
Annually
• Demonstration of good standing with regulatory
authority
Level 2
Annually
• Demonstration of Level 1 requirements
• Update Staff Education & Qualification data online
Level 3
Annually
• Demonstration of Level 1 & 2 requirements
• Update Curriculum & Assessment data online
• Curriculum & Assessment checklist visit
Level 4
Annually
• Demonstration of Level 1-3 requirements
Every 3
years
• CLASS & ERS on-site observation by a Star
Quality Rater
Annually
• Demonstration of Level 1-3 requirements
Every 3
years
• CLASS & ERS on-site observation by a Star
Quality Rater
Level 5
“They’re not here to grade us,
they’re here to help us.”
Resources
Websites:
http://smartbeginnings.org/
(insert local website info)
For more information contact the Star Quality Hub:
• VDSS/OECD – vsqi@dss.virginia.gov
• VECF – qris@vecf.org
(insert Star Quality Coordinator contact info)