Quality Counts for Spartanburg’s Children

Posted January 7th, 2012 in early childhood development,health,Molly Talbot-Metz,nonprofit,philanthropy,spartanburg
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The Mary Black Foundation announced on Thursday, January 5, in partnership with Spartanburg County First Steps, the pilot of a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for Spartanburg County early childhood programs. The local QRIS will be called Quality Counts.

A QRIS is a voluntary system to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early childhood programs. The system can increase program expectations and accountability, providing valuable information to families and communities on options for quality early education and care. Research shows a strong link between high quality child care and healthy children who are prepared for school.

We believe that early childhood development is the foundation of a healthy community. Early childhood programs are critical to our community – they help prepare children for success in school, careers, and life.

Quality Counts will provide support to child development programs interested in continuous quality improvement. Because Spartanburg is the first in SC to implement a QRIS for early childhood programs, we will start with an 18-month pilot to test the system and get feedback from programs and parents. After the pilot, we will look to expand county-wide and then throughout the Upstate.

The first statewide QRIS was created in 1998 in Oklahoma. Since then, there has been growing momentum at state and local levels to use the systematic approach of the QRIS model for benchmarking quality and for identifying and rewarding early childhood programs that provide high quality services. Over the last 10 years, twenty states and the District of Columbia have implemented a QRIS, while over twenty-five more states are in various stages of designing their systems.

A QRIS recognizes the efforts of programs that go above and beyond the regulatory standards of state licensing and registration. Licensing requirements set the minimum standards to ensure that basic health, safety, and developmental needs of children are being met.

Quality Counts will include quality improvement grants for providers who want to continuously improve. It supports program improvement through clear steps for setting and achieving future goals. Improvements in program practice are designed to support children’s learning and development, increase educational attainment among child care providers, and enhance professional skills and competencies.

For information about how to participate in Quality Counts, contact Barbara Manoski, Director of Quality Counts, at 864-327-4914 or bmanoski@1steps.org or visit www.spartanburgqualitycounts.com.

-Molly Talbot-Metz