Quality and Accountability Measures to Enhance Services for Children

When I was looking for childcare for my toddler, Beren, I wanted to find a great program – a place where he would feel secure and loved and where he would learn to get along with other children and make friends. I also wanted him to ask questions, explore, and learn about the world around him. I found a childcare that had all of these qualities and Beren attended as a toddler and preschooler. Although I didn’t know exactly what the 5-Star rated license meant, I knew 5 stars was the highest rating.

Now I know that the professional language for what I was looking for goes something like this: a high quality early care and education program where each and every young child develops and learns to his or her full potential in a variety of domains (cognitive, social-emotional, motor, communication, etc.). I also now know that the NC Star Rated License system is a Quality Rating System (QRS) – a system of accountability of particular relevance to the early childhood care and education community – and that many states have such systems in place.

The program Beren attended enrolled children with and without disabilities and was therefore also required to participate in another reporting system of particular relevance to the early childhood special education community – the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Annual Performance Report (APR) for Preschool Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). As a parent, I was not familiar with this system.

Join us at the Inclusion Institute in July for an interactive session that focuses on these accountability systems. We will provide background information about the two systems and invite discussion about how they intersect and enhance services for all young children.

Community Questions
In what ways are these systems of accountability similar? What are the common elements? How does each system enhance services for children?