Exploring the Relationship Between Quality Rating and Improvement System Supports and Global Quality in Family Child Car
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Exploring the Relationship Between Quality Rating and Improvement System Supports and Global Quality in Family Child Care Jing Tang1 · Rena A. Hallam1 · Jessica Francis2 · Kristy Sheffler2
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Background A Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is one widespread method to provide a framework for quality improvement in early care and education. However, there is little research examining the relationship between QRIS supports and quality changes in family child care programs. Objective This study aims to examine the associations between supports offered through Delaware’s QRIS and global quality changes in family child care programs. Delaware’s QRIS supports included financial incentives and on-site technical assistance. Method Data were extracted from the administrative database on 139 family child care programs participating in the QRIS. Repeated measures multivariate analysis of covariance was used to examine the effects of time and Delaware’s QRIS supports. Results Results showed significant relationships between QRIS supports and the improvement of global quality in family child care programs as measured by the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale-Revised. Specifically, the amount of on-site technical assistance was significantly associated with changes in the Interaction and Program Structure subscale scores. Additionally, grants received through the QRIS were significantly associated with quality improvements in the home environment. Conclusion Considering that the amount of technical assistance alone was effective in improving the global quality of family child care programs, professional development strategies that aim to articulate and enhance the technical assistance that is provided to programs would be useful. Further, various types of financial incentives are encouraged to assist family child care programs in improving the structural quality of their environments. Keywords Quality rating and improvement system · Family child care · Child care quality
* Jing Tang [email protected] 1
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Delaware, 111 Alison Hall West, Newark, DE 19716, USA
2
Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
Child & Youth Care Forum
Introduction Numerous studies have found that high quality early care and education promote children’s language, cognitive, and social development, especially for children from low-income families (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network 2004; Marshall et al. 2013; VotrubaDrzal et al. 2004). National data suggest that more than seven million children are primarily cared for in home-based child care (HBCC) settings (National Survey of Early Care and Education [NSECE] Project Team 2016). Family child care (FCC), a regulated or registered type of HBCC, is a common arrangement for families with infants and toddlers (Kim and Fram 2009); low-income families (Chaudry
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