Bay Area QRIS Partnership

Early LearningEarly Learning OverviewFirst 5 IMPACTQUALITY MATTERS…a STRONG START for kids FrameworkCSPP QRIS Block GrantI/T QRIS Block GrantSEEDS of Early LiteracymyTeacherstone PilotEducareHealthPhysical Health Oral Health Behavioral Health Developmental ScreeningFamily SupportCourts and Child Welfare Family Resource CentersWorkforce Development Community of LearningQUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEMThe Bay Area Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) PartnershipThe Bay Area QRIS Partnership is a consortium of five Bay Area County First 5 Commissions that have received funding through the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant with the regional goal to develop and implement a Quality Rating and Improvement System. The participating counties – Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz – are leveraging their experiences and lessons learned in developing their local QRIS’s to identify opportunities to coordinate their work, more efficiently use resources, and otherwise create a common approach and movement for quality improvement across the Bay Area Region. Potential options being discussed by the Bay Area Partnership include, but are not limited to: Developing regional pools of assessors and coaches that can be shared among the counties and foster a common set of rating standards and standard level of quality for technical assistance to be provided to early care sites; Identifying regional training and professional development opportunities for early childhood educators and trainers; Utilizing a common data system that will facilitate quantifying site improvements over time and tell the regional QRIS story; and Developing and communicating a common language about early childhood care quality that will support providers in continuously improving their care and parents in understanding what quality care looks like and therefore better informing their choices about care for their children. The regional partners have also initiated discussions and information sharing with the non-RTT Bay Area counties with an eye towards broadening the effort across the entire Bay Area region.For more information on the Regional effort, contact:Karina Rivera VIVA Strategy and Communications karina@viva-strategy.com 650.525.4305