High quality is critical to realizing the long-term benefits of early childhood education (ECE), for children and for society. For California to yield a return on its investment in its learning programs, it must ensure their quality. This section examines the ways in which California endeavors to monitor and support quality of licensed programs for children 0-5 years.
There is not total consensus on what constitutes quality in early care and learning. But there is widespread agreement that children should be physically and psychologically safe, enjoy trusting relationships with caring adults, and engage in activities that will support their development on a variety of dimensions. States endeavor to instantiate these qualities in their licensing regulations, including teacher preparation requirements, and by monitoring quality and supporting program improvement.
California has three primary methods for ensuring the quality of early education programs. The first is through the state’s Title 22 program licensing, which is designed to certify that ECE programs meet the minimum requirements for legal operation, and Title 5 regulations, which add requirements for some programs. Both Title 22 and Title 5 licensed programs must meet the requirements specified in Title 22 of the California Administrative Code. In addition, California State Preschool Programs (CSPP) and General Child Care Programs (CCTR) must meet additional requirements as laid out in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, which set stricter adult-to-child ratios and staff qualifications than Title 22, and require an education plan.
Programs are initially evaluated on whether they meet licensing requirements and regulations, and are then subsequently monitored to ensure continued adherence. In addition to meeting licensing standards and other regulations, ECE programs can voluntarily obtain evidence of excellence by going through national accreditation systems, such as the one used by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Some states link their reimbursement rates to NAEYC accreditation, but California does not. Approximately 4% of licensed child care centers in California, however, have elected to go through the rigorous and costly process to demonstrate that they have met the NAEYC standards.
The second main strategy for monitoring and promoting quality is through the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). Programs that voluntarily participate in QRIS programs are rated on a continuum, with licensing requirements serving as the baseline of program quality. QRIS was designed to use ratings to convey areas of strengths and weaknesses (QR) and provide support to increase quality (IS).
A third strategy used to assess quality is by measuring student learning gains, although as discussed below, their use as an index of quality is controversial and rarely applied in early childhood education settings. Learning gains in ECE have, however, been used in early childhood education programs, such as Head Start.
In this Chapter, we address the following questions:
- What are the licensing and other requirements for ECE programs in California?
- How is program quality monitored?
- How does California’s QRIS work?
- Should child assessments be used to assess ECE program quality?
After describing licensing requirements and program monitoring in the first two sections, California’s QRIS is described. The last section discusses dangers using child assessments as an index of program quality.
