Search: Provider Services Index (Children's Home + Aid CCR&R Newsletter) > FEATURE ARTICLE Quality Counts -- Quality Rating System Have you heard about the new statewide Quality Rating System (QRS)? The Illinois Department of Human Services began implementation of this new system as of July 1, 2007 to increase the quality of child care for children and families eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). QRS is available to License-Exempt Child Care Providers, IDCFS Licensed Family/Group Home Child Care Providers and IDCFS Licensed Child Care Centers caring for children eligible for CCAP. License-Exempt Child Care Providers are eligible to achieve 1 - 3 Training Tier Levels with add-on rates ranging from 10% to 20%. Licensed Family/Group Home Child Care Providers and Licensed Child Care Centers are eligible to achieve 1 - 4 Star Levels with add-on rates ranging from 5% to 20%. To be eligible for QRS a provider must meet specific eligibility requirements based on the type of care they offer. License-Exempt Child Care Providers need to complete specific training requirements in order to become eligible for a QRS Training Tier. Licensed Family/Group Home Child Care Providers and Licensed Child Care Centers need to be IDCFS licensed and meet specific indicators of quality based on the following: learning environment, program design/management and provider qualifications/training, to become eligible for a QRS Star Level. If you are interested in learning more about QRS please contact Children's Home + Aid Child Care Resource + Referral program at 1-800-467-9200. The Training Coordinators, Michele Denton at ext. 126 or Becky Boerner at ext. 109, can give you specific dates for upcoming QRS Orientations. The Environmental Scale Everyone is talking about the Environmental Rating Scale! The environmental rating scale is not mandatory, but comes highly recommended. The scale is a good way to take a closer look at your child care program and all of its working parts. It allows the provider to focus on specific areas of their program in need of improvements and/or to highlight areas with great strength. It is very user friendly with descriptions of what to look for and a scale that ranges from 1 being inadequate to 7 being excellent. What can you do with this information? You can use the information in a number of ways. For instance, you may find an area of weakness in language. Therefore, you can focus in-service training around that weakness. You may find a weakness in furnishings or learning activities. Therefore, you can use this finding to justify a request made in a grant proposal. There are four different versions of the scale, the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ECERS) (for center-based programs), the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS), the Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ITERS), and the School-Age Care Environmental Rating Scale (SACERS). The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ECERS) is designed for use in center-based programs enrolling children 2 1/2 through 5 years of age. The scale has 43 items organized into 7 subscales. The subscales are space and furnishings, personal care routines, language/reasoning, activities, interactions, program structure, and parents and staff. The Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) is designed for use in programs conducted in a provider's home. The scale has 40 items including 8 supplementary items for programs with children with disabilities enrolled organized into 7 subscales. The subscales are space and furnishings for care and learning, basic care, language and reasoning, learning activities, social development, adult needs, and provisions for exceptional children. The Infant/Toddler Environmental Rating Scale (ITERS) is designed for use in center-based programs enrolling infants and toddlers up to 30 months old. The scale has 39 items organized into 7 subscales. The subscales are space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking, activities, interaction, program structure, parents and staff. The School-Age Care Environmental Rating Scale (SACERS)is designed for use in group-care programs for children 5 to 12 years old. The scale has 49 items with 6 supplemental items for programs with children with disabilities enrolled organized into 7 subscales. The subscales are space and furnishings, health and safety, activities, interactions, program structure, staff development, and special needs. Back to top