What's in Store for QRS in Minnesota?

Following the allocation of new federal money this legislative session for Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating System pilot, it’s important to have a sense of the issues that have risen as this new system is implemented and evaluated. Particularly useful will be lessons from other states that have launched statewide systems, as well as states that, like Minnesota, are piloting QRSs or are in the development stages of a QRS.

A recent Child Trends issue brief entitled “Issues for the Next Decade of Quality Rating and Improvement Systems” takes a look at what other states have learned, and identifies new research areas about QRS. In many ways, Minnesota is well-poised to benefit from past research, and in fact, the evaluation of our QRS already underway is taking these points into account. Child Trends is a non-profit, nonpartisan research center that studies children at all stages of development, and prepared the brief in conjunction with the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) at the Administration of Children and Families.

For example, the brief notes that new observation tools are needed to determine positive outcomes based on children’s experiences and environments, and to this end, Minnesota is an example of a state using multiple tools to address this. Also, some states have not included parents in the design and planning of their rating systems, and the brief highlights Minnesota as one state that has been intentional about gathering feedback from parents.

I’d encourage anyone interested in gaining a better grasp on the national scene related to QRS to take a few minutes to read the brief. Minnesota is mentioned throughout, and as we move forward with our QRS, its great to be able to learn from other states—and hopefully influence future work around the country.

Look to the Stars: Quality Rating Systems in Early Childhood

Ready 4 K has promoted and many states are implementing Quality Rating Systems for early learning providers, much like hotel or restaurant ratings. According to NAEYC, there are 32 states (including the District of Columbia) that have implemented some form of a Quality Rating System (*** see comments for update). In Minnesota, our QRS is called Parent Aware Ratings and it’s being piloted in a few targeted areas by the Minnesota Early Learning Fund (MELF). The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has a column from 2007 about the expansion of quality ratings around the country.

Ratings are important because they help families to quickly know the level of quality a program provides. With a quick snapshot, parents know what type of care their children are receiving and the quality of that care. Ratings also provide a framework for allowing resources to flow to programs to help them improve and sustain their quality. and a rating system can lead to improvements to the quality of all the programs in a given area.

Rating systems vary by state. In Minnesota, we have a 4 star system that looks at how the program uses family partnerships, teaching materials and strategies, track learning progress, teacher training and education, and child safety. Programs are rated in each of the five areas and then are given a composite score of 1-4 stars. When programs are rated as one or two stars, they are eligible to work with resource personnel to help them improve their quality and be able to be rated again in the future.

Currently, the ratings are being piloted in just four areas: St Paul, North Minneapolis, Wayata School District, and Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. Visit the Parent Aware Ratings site for more information.

Do you work in a program that has participated in a Quality Rating System? What was it like? As a parent, how would a rating system be most helpful for you?

photo by barnabywasson