Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Child Care Center Directors want to improve the quality of their programs to increase the quality of care received by the children in their program. Many also want to improve their program as part of achieving a specific level in the state Quality Rating System. They need to have a basic understanding of the ECERS-R tool to be able to accurately use it to assess quality and understand what specific program improvements need to be made.

Response:
ISU Extension Specialists created the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Training to help Center Directors and staff in Iowa gain an understanding of the ECERS-R and how to use it to identify strengths and areas for improvement in early childhood classrooms. Directors also learn how to create an improvement plan for implementing changes to improve quality.

Impact:
Fifteen child care center administrators completed the four-week ECERS Training in Cedar Falls in the fall of 2006. Participants' plans included the following: do a self-assessment and work for an excellent quality program; complete a self-assessment for the center and a center improvement plan, then make needed changes and have another assessment done; work with staff to improve the rooms; be able to better explain to board why certain changes need to be made; help teachers understand the process. One participant's goal was to work with the classroom teachers so they could identify room and programming needs and be engaged in the improvement process, and be more efficient in balancing equipment needs with available resources.

Two-thirds of the participants (n=10), providing child care for over 700 children, have returned 3-4 month follow-up feedback forms detailing changes made since the training. 50% had completed self-assessments and child care center improvement plans. Two others were in the process and planned to be finished soon. Three reported making 3 changes thus far, three have made 4-7 changes, and three have made 8-11 changes. Changes included safety improvements (cords up, plug-ins covered, changes to playground); sanitation improvements (handwashing, turning off faucets with paper towel, hands-free trash receptacles, sanitizing sinks, moving diapering area closer to sink to decrease contamination; room improvements (more soft toys and furniture, more children's work displayed, added multi-cultural posters, added a reading area, made art activities accessible daily, added more labeling in classroom, more science and dramatic play items); and interactions (greeting children and parents, staff sitting to eat with children). One center director reported monthly meetings with teachers to discuss ECERS and then having head teachers identify the changes that needed to be made in their own classrooms.

Contact:
Donna Andrusyk
ISU Extension Family Life Field Specialist
720 7th Ave. SW
Tripoli, IA 50676
andrusyk@iastate.edu