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Improving the Quality of Child Care

Problem:
Research conducted through the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University has documented the need to help child care providers learn what quality child care is and how they can improve the child care they offer in their center or home. As the Child Care Quality Rating System is implemented in Iowa, providers need to learn how to use the Environment Rating Scales to assess the quality of care they provide.

Response:
ISU Extension has provided multi-session (3-4) sequential training for child care providers in child development homes and staff of child care centers designed to help providers learn how to do a thorough self-assessment and make a plan for improvement. Thirty-four hours of training has been conducted by the Family Life Field Specialist in the last six months on the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS), the Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-R) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R) for ninety-four family child care providers and center staff, in cooperation with Child Care Resource and Referral of Northeast Iowa, the Infant-Toddler Specialist and the new Quality Rating System Specialist.

Impact:
87% of all the participants indicated an increase in their ability to use the Environment Rating Scale to identify good or excellent care; 84% increased their ability to prioritize need changes; 86% increased their ability to develop a workable plan of action for making needed changes.

Participants’ plans as a result of the workshops included:

“Make improvements to my center and help staff understand the idea of ‘quality’ care as opposed to minimal care.”

“Do a self assessment and figure out where I’m lacking.”

“Plan to make quality changes that will benefit the children.”

“Improve low rating areas that are not highly costly.”

“Make a cozy corner; buy more books.”

“I will work to assess my program using this scale. It will be a lot of work but I believe it will b e very worth it.”

“Seriously look at our program-want to maintain high quality.”

Follow-up evaluations with participants will document self-assessment and action plans done and actual changes made in their program that improve quality of care.

Contact:
Donna Andrusyk
ISU Extension Family Life Field Specialist
720 7th Ave. SW
Tripoli, IA 50676
Phone (319) 882-4275; Fax (319) 882-4292
Email andrusyk@iastate.edu

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Last update: July 12, 2006  
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