About this site

This site is for child care providers who are searching for information about Tennessee's Evaluation and Report Card and Star-Quality programs. It also offers details about how these programs affect providers and the children they care for. Other information for both child care providers and for parents is available from the TDHS web site.

Site Map | Opening PDF Files | Program Partners

Site Map

Home page
The Tennessee Child Care Evaluation & Report Card Programs Background information About report cards (also sample report cards) Program updates	The Tennessee Star-Quality Program Background information Who qualifies for Star-Quality How to participate in the program Financial rewards of participating
All About Program Assessments What is an assessment? Who conducts an assessment? Frequently Asked Questions about assessments The Environment Rating Scales (ERS) More information about process quality and the Environment Rating Scales TN Additional Notes to the Environment Rating Scales DAPs (Developmentally Appropriate Practices) infants and children early childhood school-age children family and group home care	How to Learn More Visit TDHS online Ask a Question or submit a comment to the TN Anchors Links to reputable sources about child care Contacts Contact your local child care licensing office Contact your local Child Care Resource Center About This Site site map [this page] opening PDF files program partners contact SWORPS   PSAM Purchasing Grant Information

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Opening PDF Files

Many of the files that you can download from this site (and all over the web, for that matter), are in Portable Document Format, or PDF. To open them, you will need a program called the Acrobat® Reader. This is available for free from Adobe®.

Click the image below to go to the Adobe site. Then follow the instructions there to download the program and install it on your computer.

You only need to install the program once, then you can open all the PDF files you would like to!

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More About UT SWORPS

This web site is made possible by a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) and the University of Tennessee College of Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (UT-SWORPS).

UT-SWORPS is an important part of the University of Tennessee's College of Social Work. We work hard to improve the quality of human services practiced in Tennessee, the southeast, and the nation. We work to benefit human services workers, their agencies, and their clients. SWORPS works with public and private agencies across our state and beyond. We provide a wide range of services, including the following:

• program design and management
• training development, delivery, and evaluation
• program evaluation
• research services
• continuing professional education
• technical assistance

For more information about SWORPS, visit our organization's web site.

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Contact Us

If you have questions or problems with this site, contact the Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (SWORPS) .

You can use the Ask A Question page if you have

• a comment or question about program assessments or observations
• a question about the Star-Quality program
• a question about the Evaluation & Report Card program

You may also write a letter to the following address:

UT Social Work Office of Research and Public Service
600 Henley Street, Suite B80
Knoxville, TN 37996-4104
ATTN: Stars Program Manager

If you need technical assistance, call your local Child Care Resource Center. For more information on licensing, you can call your local licensing office.

PSAM Purchasing Grant Information

Learn more about the Provider Self-Assessment and Mentoring (PSAM) Program and how to apply for the PSAM Purchasing Grant by visiting the TNStarQuality web page titled All about the Provider Self-Assessment and Mentoring (PSAM) Program and Purchasing Grant.

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