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Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This PDF document was made available from www.rand.org as a public service of the RAND Corporation. 6 Jump down to document THE ARTS CHILD POLICY CIVIL JUSTICE EDUCATION ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SUBSTANCE ABUSE TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore RAND Education View document details For More Information Purchase this document Browse Books & Publications Make a charitable contribution Support RAND This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND mono- graphs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. Child-Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Five Pioneer States Implementation Issues and Lessons Learned Gail L. Zellman, Michal Perlman EDUCATION Prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and United Way America The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2008 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2008 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: order@rand.org Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Zellman, Gail. Child care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in five pioneer states : implementation issues and lessons learned / Gail L. Zellman, Michal Perlman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8330-4551-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Child care—United States—Evaluation. 2 Child care services—United States—Evaluation. I. Perlman, Michal. II. Title. HQ778.63.Z44 2008 353.53'283—dc22 2008033800 The research described in this report was prepared for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and United Way America, and was conducted by RAND Education, a unit of the RAND Corporation. iii Preface As demand for child care in the United States has grown, so have calls for improving its qual- ity. One approach to quality improvement that has been gaining momentum involves the development and implementation of quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs): multi- component assessments designed to make child-care quality transparent to child-care provid- ers, parents, and policymakers. By providing public ratings of child-care quality along with feedback, technical assistance, and improvement incentives, QRISs are posited to both moti- vate and support quality improvements. In this report, we summarize the QRISs of five “early adopter” states: Oklahoma, Colo- rado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. We then present results from in-depth inter- views with key stakeholders in each of these states, focusing on major implementation issues and lessons learned. e goal of this report is to provide useful input for states and localities that are considering initiating or revising child-care QRISs. is work represents a first product of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) Consortium, a stakeholder group whose goal is to promote child-care quality through research and technical assistance. e work was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and United Way America. is study was carried out by RAND Educa- tion, a unit of the RAND Corporation. e study reflects RAND Education’s mission to bring accurate data and careful, objective analysis to the national discussion on early child care and education (ECCE). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders or the QRIS Consortium. v Contents Preface iii Figures vii Tables ix Summary xi Acknowledgments xvii Abbreviations xix CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1 Background 1 Quality Rating and Improvement Systems 3 Setting Goals, Expectations, and Standards 3 Establishing Incentives and Supports 5 Monitoring Performance rough Ratings 5 Assessing Compliance with Quality Standards 6 Encouraging Provider Improvement rough QI Support 6 QRIS eory 7 QRISs in Practice 7 Limitations in Our Understanding of QRISs 9 Lack of Data 9 Limited Understanding of QRISs as Systems 9 Dearth of Practical Knowledge 10 QRIS Stakeholder Consortium 10 Study Limitations 11 Organization of is Report 11 CHAPTER TWO Methods 13 Sampling of States 13 Interviewee Selection 14 Interview Guide 15 Data Collection, Management, and Analysis 16 Other Research Informing is Study 16 CHAPTER THREE e Pioneer QRISs and How ey Were Developed 19 Elements of a Rating System 19 vi Child-Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Five Pioneer States Rating Components 19 How Components Are Weighted 20 Rating Systems in the Five Targeted States 21 Oklahoma: Reaching for the Stars 21 Colorado: Qualistar Rating System 22 North Carolina: Star-Rated License 23 Pennsylvania: Keystone STARS 25 Ohio: Step Up to Quality 26 Summary 27 QRIS Design and Implementation Processes 29 Goal-Setting and Feasibility Assessment 29 System Design 31 System Implementation 39 System Outputs 41 CHAPTER FOUR Lessons Learned 45 State Self-Assessments 45 States Generally Believe at eir QRISs Have Had a Positive Impact 45 Factors at Contribute to the Success of a QRIS 46 Challenges to Success 47 Impediments to Success 47 Setting Goals, Expectations, and Standards 47 Establishing Incentives and Supports 50 Monitoring Performance rough Ratings 52 Encouraging Provider Improvement rough QI Support 53 Dissemination of Information About the QRIS and Provider Ratings 54 QRIS Components and eir Relationships to Each Other 54 Recommendations 55 Precursors to a Successful QRIS 55 System-Development Process 56 What Should QRSs Include? 56 Quality Improvement 57 Evaluate the Effectiveness of the QRIS 58 APPENDIXES A. Interview Guide 59 B. Unpublished Mani Paper on QRISs 63 References 67 vii Figures 1.1. A Logic Model for QRISs 4 3.1. QRIS Design and Implementation Processes 30 . high standards for research quality and objectivity. Child-Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Five Pioneer States Implementation Issues and. THREE e Pioneer QRISs and How ey Were Developed 19 Elements of a Rating System 19 vi Child-Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Five Pioneer States Rating