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Child care providers undergo refresher on ratings system
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Posted on Feb 26 2020
A total of 112 child care providers have their picture taken after an orientation on the CNMI Child Care and Development Fund’s Quality Rating and Improvement System last Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Marianas High School cafeteria. (Contributed Photo)
Child care providers in the CNMI went through a three-hour orientation at the Marianas High School cafeteria last Saturday, Feb. 8, to refresh their knowledge about a system that is used to assess the quality of the services they provide.
A total of 112 child care providers attended the orientation for the CNMI Child Care and Development Fund’s Quality Rating and Improvement System.
Dr. Jasmin Niedo, Evergreen Learning’s program manager and QRIS assessor, facilitated the orientation. Evergreen Learning is CCDF’s partner in implementing the activities and procedures for the quality care initiative.
QRIS is defined as “a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings.” Niedo said the QRIS is intended to help parents make decisions in choosing high quality child care.
The CNMI QRIS first launched in July 2016. Last Saturday’s training kicked off the initiative’s fourth year of implementation in the CNMI.
Under the QRIS system, child care programs are rated along a five-star level system, with level 5 representing the highest quality. To determine the star level, programs are assessed on how they meet quality in six standard areas: health and safety, staffing and professional development, child growth and development, children with disabilities, family engagement and strengthening, and leadership and management.
From March to June 2020, all CCDF-certified child care facilities in the CNMI will be observed to determine their level of quality. Those who will make the observations are certified QRIS assessors and have earned interrater reliability on the Environment Rating Scales and the Program Administration Scale—the tools used by CCDF to measure program quality.
Participation in the QRIS is mandatory for all child care programs that are CCDF-certified to register children who receive child care subsidy under the CCDBG Reauthorization of 2014.
For more information on the QRIS, visit the CNMI Child Care Licensing Program’s website at http://www.cnmicclp.gov.mp/cnmi-qris/ or contact via email Maribel Loste, CCDF administrator at mloste.cnmiccdf@gmail.com. (PR)
