WHAT IS QUALITY CHILDCARE? 

As legislators, policy makers and local leaders develop how they view, determine, and evaluate quality in early learning programs, the educators of the PEEUA have created our own description outlined below.

We stand prepared to offer our and collective expertise and guidance as our nation and state make important decisions that will impact children and families in early learning programs for years to come.

Please read and share our definition of quality in early learning and reach out to us if you have question or want to know more about our ideas.

·         Loving Environment

o   Strong, consistent evidence of loving, nurturing, forgiving, trained, educated, kind, and meaningful interactions between children and all staff; all day every day and in every circumstance.

·         Knowing your parents

o   Your program develops, maintains and adheres to a formal protocol for ensuring that teachers and leaders are connecting with parents regularly and there is some form of evidence of it on a regular basis.

·         Trained, Experienced Educators:

o   Formal degrees are not the only indicator of quality

o   Lead staff have experience in the early education setting; those with the most experience are able and encouraged to mentor less experienced staff; at least 5 years.

o   Staff show evidence of additional pursuits for education; certifications, workshops, training hours, or coaching hours that are not required.

o   Any combination of additional training with formal education degrees.

·         A Degree of “With-it-ness”

o   Evidence and demonstration of an authentic connection and understanding of societal views of early education, the community in general and the local neighborhood where the childcare business operates.

o   Demonstration of a strong understanding of the families and the children; their needs, personalities, situations, stressors and strengths, and what is happening.

o   Calm and assertive leadership skills to manage the classroom and respond to daily issues/crises.

·         Teacher-Child Engagement

o   Demonstration all day every day of teacher talking with and to children about things other than classroom directions, i.e., talking at eye level, with lowered tone, making eye contact, gentle touching, validation of child feelings, encouraging comments, reciprocity of emotion, accurately reading emotions and needs, use of praise as a motivator for changes in behavior instead of punishment.

·         Safety

o   Key indicators of safety and knowledge of safety protocols quickly and readily identifiable and available.

o   Safety protocols shared with parents and other adults including emergency protocol.

o   Environment free of any immediate threats or danger.

·         Organization

o   Daily schedule is planned and organized in advance

o   Schedule and expectations are simply and consistently conveyed to children to reduce chaos and increase a sense of safety and belonging.

o   Parents receive paperwork in a timely manner that is organized and appropriate for their individual child’s needs.

o   Toys and materials are organized in visually attractive ways, are clean, and rotated regularly.

·         Appearance and Cleanliness

o   Environment is cleaned regularly and is obvious upon entry.

o   Children can participate in cleaning safely on a regular basis.  

o   Room is vibrant and bright and educationally attractive to the developing mind.

o   Educational themes are posted and organized and changed throughout the month.

·         Appropriate Activities

o   Learning activities are age appropriate and created or modified to suit the needs of each classroom/group of children.

o   Learning activities consider further needs, i.e, cultural viewpoint, family history, child experiences that may impact outlook (COVID/poverty/family trauma), special needs/developmental delays, and the prevalence within the group.

o   Learning activities are delivered in a calm, nurturing way with enthusiasm and allows the needs of the group to dictate the overall direction of the activity.

·         Low Teacher Turnover – Continuity of Care

o   Steps are taken to ensure that children have the same provider for as long as possible.

o   Teacher shuffling is not an issue.

o   Turnover should be an immediate critical concern and a long-term plan should be put into place to prioritize addressing it.

o   Teachers can either move with their age group to the next classroom or provide some instruction in that group to  ensure continuity and provide stability to young children; especially in a center where turnover rates remain high despite all efforts.

·         Low ratios

o   License board standards and lower are considered quality settings and allow for better response to each child.

·         Obvious Love for Children

o   Teachers demonstrate an affinity for children that is easily identified in their interactions, teaching style, response to behavior, and personal history.

·         Measure of Success

o   Site measures outcomes that is not based primarily on performance (except where required by the state) and measures these components of quality.

o   Educator can identify how measurements/assessments are used to make improvements or drive instruction.

o   There is a formal protocol in place to allow for careful analysis of assessments/measurements and discussion of ways to modify instruction to address gaps.

·         Exit Interviews

o   Site strives to survey families after they transition to formal schooling for feedback on program strengths and areas of development to identify and make improvements.

o   Site tries to interview parents as they exit to another program for feedback on the same.

o   Site uses constructive criticism to make changes and inform staff as a team.

·         Go the extra mile

o   Site has a history of meeting the needs of the families it serves, i.e., keeping donated diapers or clothes on hand if they serve families in poverty, seeking a strong connection with the foster care system to improve ways to serve children in welfare, doing end of the day double checks on kids to present them in “good order” at pick up time, connecting with community groups and committing to affiliations that improve their business and knowledge.

·         Special Needs Interventions:

o   Provider works with therapists and intervention programs in the community to maximize their resources to families

o   Provider knows contact information and service overviews of various programs to provide a large array of services to parents and children in their learning environment.