Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Application 8/22/2011

Transcription

1 (B)(3) Rating and monitoring Early Learning and Development Programs. (15 points) The extent to which the State and its Participating State Agencies have developed and implemented, or have a High-Quality Plan to develop and implement, a system for rating and monitoring the quality of Early Learning and Development Programs participating in the Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System by-- (a) Using a valid and reliable tool for monitoring such programs, having trained monitors whose ratings have an acceptable level of inter-rater reliability, and monitoring and rating the Early Learning and Development Programs with appropriate frequency; and (b) Providing quality rating and licensing information to parents with children enrolled in Early Learning and Development Programs (e.g., displaying quality rating information at the program site) and making program quality rating data, information, and licensing history (including any health and safety violations) publicly available in formats that are easy to understand and use for decision making by families selecting Early Learning and Development Programs and families whose children are enrolled in such programs. In the text box below, the State shall write its full response to this selection criterion. The State may also include any additional information it believes will be helpful to peer reviewers. If the State has included relevant attachments in the Appendix, these should be described in the narrative below and clearly cross-referenced to allow the reviewers to locate them easily. In scoring the selection criterion, peer reviewers will determine, based on the evidence the State submits, whether each element of the selection criterion is implemented or planned; the quality of the implementation or plan (see the definition of a High-Quality Plan for the components reviewers will be judging); the extent to which the different types of Early Learning and Development Programs in the State are included and addressed; and the extent to which the unique needs of the State s special populations of Children with High Needs are considered and addressed. The State is responsible for providing clear and detailed information to assist the peer reviewers in making these determinations. 111

2 (B)(3) Rating and monitoring Early Learning and Development Programs. Minnesota has developed and implemented a solid process for rating and monitoring the quality of ELD Programs, which includes use of on-site observations using the CLASS tool (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008). Our High-Quality Plan will strengthen our existing process by establishing rigorous training for rating staff and establishing an upgraded Parent Aware data system. The plan for continuous improvement of Parent Aware presented in B1 will also contribute to these efforts. Minnesota is tremendously strong in the area of making rating and licensing information publically available, we will continue these efforts as part of our High- Quality Plan. USING A VALID AND RELIABLE TOOL FOR MONITORING PROGRAMS B3a Parent Aware Rating Process The Parent Aware rating process requires participating ELD Programs to apply via submission of a Quality Documentation Packet, which assembles a portfolio of evidence documenting their progress toward meeting the Parent Aware Program Standards and indicators. Programs receive assistance in completing their portfolios from a trained quality coach. The coach ensures that programs understand the standards and the types of documentation that are acceptable in meeting each standard. In addition to submitting documentation of their existing quality, center-based programs initially receive on-site observations using the CLASS tool (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008). As research becomes available on using CLASS in family child care settings, observations will be conducted in those settings as well. Observers receive extensive training through staff anchors who have been trained by Teachstone, the organization that provides training and support on the CLASS. Observers must adhere to rigorous reliability standards: they must demonstrate 90% exact agreement on the CLASS items on three successive occasions, and reliability is checked every 10 th visit or every three months (whichever comes first). Data from the documentation portfolios and observation reports are used to assess whether a program is meeting required standards. Quality Raters use CLASS scores and data collected from the Quality Documentation Packet to calculate a quality rating. As Parent Aware scales up, additional Quality Raters will be hired and trained, and a an updated process for measuring and documenting inter-rater reliability will be implemented, modeled after the CLASS observer reliability process described above. 112

3 This will include rigorous training and periodic reliability checks between Quality Raters and the anchor Quality Rater. Participating ELD Programs will be fully rated every other year to maintain their quality rating. Programs eligible for the Accelerated Pathway to Rating (accredited child care programs, Head Start, and School Readiness programs) will be rated based on conformance with their existing program standards (e.g., Head Start Performance Standards, etc.), as well as measurement of two additional indicators (described fully in B2, Goal 1). ELD Programs on the accelerated pathway are rated every other year, the process for ensuring inter-rater reliability is consistent with the process for ensuring inter-rater reliability for fully rated programs. As described in Selection Criteria B1, Goal 2, the Accelerated Pathway to Rating process will be refined during 2013, the frequency of ratings and the process for ensuring inter-rater reliability will be considered at that time. PROVIDING QUALITY RATING AND LICENSING INFORMATION TO PARENTS B3b Parent Aware is unique in the nation because of its intentional focus on supporting parents early care and education decisions. Throughout the development and implementation of Parent Aware, special emphasis was placed on developing and promoting a rating tool that would be useful to parents. All aspects of the program, from the program name to the website and related forms, brochures and materials, were designed to make the program as attractive to and easily understood by parents as possible. On the Parent Aware website, parents have quick and easy access to a search engine that retrieves programs by variety of search parameters (see Parent Aware web pages in Appendix 19). Parents can learn about the rating tool by visiting the About Parent Aware page, where they will find an easy-to-read summary of how the ratings are calculated and displayed. Information is available in English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish. Parents visiting the Parent Aware website who have questions about the rating system are encouraged to call a CCR&R specialist for more information and assistance with searching for a high-quality program. Referral information is provided in a way that is aligned with the quality ratings. All programs participating in Parent Aware have access to marketing support, including a marketing kit and information on ratings, provided through Minnesota s CCR&R system. In addition, using materials created by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation, the newly-formed 113

4 private non-profit, Parent Aware for School Readiness, will continue to use private funding to market the program through ad campaigns on radio and billboards, in newspapers, and through other targeted media outlets (see Priority 5). Minnesota has developed a number of strategies for outreach and assistance in using quality ratings with parents of Children with High Needs. For example, during the Prekindergarten Allowance and Early Childhood Scholarship pilot programs (see B4), staff assigned to help families apply for an allowance or scholarship provided targeted support to parents to help them find placements in highly rated programs for their children. Parents in Minnesota also have online access to information about program licensing history. The Licensing Information Lookup website provides licensing status, compliance reports, and public summaries of maltreatment investigations (sample web page in Appendix 20). Parents are encouraged to use this website in combination with Parent Aware ratings to make an informed decision. HIGH-QUALITY PLAN GOALS AND ACTIVITIES Goal 1: Ensure ongoing validity and reliability in the Parent Aware rating process. Activity 1.1: Establish rigorous training and reliability procedures for staff conducting observations. As Parent Aware scales up and additional rating staff are trained, the Department of Human Services will work together with the University of Minnesota s Assessment and Training Center. As part of the process, training and reliability procedures will be reinforced and improved. Observational staff will be trained by anchors to achieve 90% exact reliability on all observational tools used in the rating system and the evaluation/validation. Activity 1.2: Establish rigorous training, reliability, and data management procedures for staff conducting document review and establishing ratings. Rigorous training and supervision will be in place to ensure that Quality Raters are prepared to follow the guidelines developed for rating programs on the standards and indicators. Data management procedures, such as double entry of 10% of data and data checking and cleaning, will be monitored closely, and staff will be retrained on a regular basis. If data checking shows accuracy falling below 95%, additional quality control measures will be implemented, including increased double entry and increased training. 114

5 Activity 1.3: Develop a comprehensive TQRIS data system with enhanced functionality to support Parent Aware. The existing Parent Aware database has limited functionality; its focus is collecting, storing, and computing ratings based on the Program Standards. To best support Parent Aware, a more comprehensive data system with broader functionality is needed. This Plan develops a cross-agency QRIS data system that is web-based, with enhanced functionality, including the ability to: 1) calculate quality ratings based on the updated program standards and indicators; 2) track data on all types of quality improvement supports, including coaching and incentives; and 3) track Children with High Needs and tie this information to the characteristics of Early Childhood Educators and ELD Programs. The data system will be closely coordinated with or will build onto an existing database to ensure the development of a single, cross-agency solution (see E2). When necessary, automatic data feeds from related databases will be used to share programmatic data on a daily basis. Goal 2: Continue and expand marketing and outreach to families, particularly those with Children with High Needs. Activity 2.1: Tie expansion of marketing efforts to the Parent Aware recruitment plan outlined in B2 Goals 1 and 2. The non-profit organization Parent Aware for School Readiness will privately-fund and - direct marketing of Parent Aware across the state (see Priority 5). Activity 2.2: Integrate Parent Aware information in the Minnesota Parents Know website and other outreach programs. Minnesota Parents Know is Minnesota s state-sponsored website for high-quality information for parents, providing trusted parenting information, resources, and activities to families. It also serves as the portal for the online Minnesota Help Me Grow program, Minnesota s Infant and Toddler Intervention system. Each of the websites will provide links to Parent Aware so that parents can access needed information seamlessly. Parents applying to a Head Start or School Readiness programs will also receive information on Parent Aware. In addition, the Early Childhood Family Education program, available in all Minnesota school districts, is well positioned to present information on Parent Aware to participating families as part of transitioning their target audience, Children with High Needs ages birth to three, to high-quality child care. 115

6 Activity 2.3: Continue targeted marketing and outreach to families receiving Child Care Assistance. Parents who are applying for the Child Care Assistance Program are encouraged by county-level child care workers to contact their local CCR&R agency for help finding and selecting child care. Parents also provide brochures in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali encouraging parents receiving Child Care Assistance to use the Parent Aware ratings to inform their decisions. Early Learning Challenge grant funds will be used to develop a new Parent Toolkit that is aligned with the Parent Aware Program Standards. The tool-kit will be used by child care workers to inform parents about ELD Program quality and how to find it in their community using Parent Aware. Realistic Timeline B3. Rating and Monitoring Programs Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Goal 1: Ensure ongoing validity and reliability in Parent Aware. 1.1: Rigorous training & reliability procedures for observers 1.2: Rigorous training & reliability for document review/rating staff 1.3 TQRIS Database Modify existing database as interim solution/ Develop requirements for new system Select vendor/develop and implement TQRIS database Goal 2: Continue & expand marketing to families 2.1 Continue and expand marketing 2.2 Integrate Parent Aware into MNParentsKnow & other outreach programs 116

7 2.3 Targeted marketing to families receiving CCAP Responsible Parties For Goal 1, the Department of Human Services, in coordination with the Department of Education, will manage Parent Aware rating and monitoring. The University of Minnesota Assessment and Training Center at the Center for Early Education and Development will ensure reliability of the onsite observations using CLASS. The Department of Human Services will oversee the development and implementation of the Parent Aware data system. Parent Aware for School Readiness will raise the funds necessary for continued marketing of Parent Aware (Goal 2) and lead marketing efforts in close collaboration with public relations staff from the Departments of Human Services and Education and the statewide CCR&R Network. Staff from the Department of Education will lead efforts to incorporate Parent Aware into the Minnesota Parents Know website (Goal 2), in close collaboration with public relations staff from the Department of Human Services and the CCR&R Network. Staff from the Department of Human Services will work closely with staff from the Minnesota CCR&R Network and county leadership to continue to reach out to families as part of the process of applying for financial assistance (Goal 2). Appropriate Financial Resources Note the financial resources listed here support all Parent Aware TQRIS activities, including B1, B2, B3 and B5: $9,760,457 Public Funds (CCDF) $7,600,000 Private Funds $7,978,232 ELC Grant Funds $25,338,689 TOTAL 4 Year Project Cost For more detail on this budget, please see A4 and related budget spreadsheets. Supporting Evidence Appendix 19: Sample Parent Aware webpages. Appendix 20: Sample licensing lookup webpages. 117

8 Letters of support: University of Minnesota, Center for Early Education and Development Performance Measures See Table B2c. Addressing Needs of Different Types of ELD Programs All types of ELD Programs are included in Minnesota s Parent Aware TQRIS. Meeting Needs of Children with High Needs (Including Special Populations) Existing infrastructure will be used and new infrastructure developed to connect families receiving Child Care Assistance with highly rated programs. 118