The TN Child Care Evaluation & Report Card Programs
Background Information
In 2000 and 2001, Tennessee launched a broad program to improve child care. This program's goals are to give more information to parents and to improve the quality of child care in the state. This new program actually includes two programs, the Child Care Evaluation and Report Card Program and the Star-Quality Child Care Program.
The Child Care Evaluation and Report Card Program is required for all licensed and approved child care providers in Tennessee. During the process of renewing a license, the State evaluates a provider on several areas of quality. Family and Group Homes are evaluated on 5 areas and Child Care Centers on 7 areas. To learn more about this program, please read the Factsheet.
The Star-Quality Child Care Program, unlike the report card program, is voluntary. This program recognizes child care providers who meet a higher standard of quality. Once qualified for this program, providers can receive one, two, or three stars to place on their license. Each star shows that a provider meets increasingly higher standards. In other words, the more stars a program has, the better the quality of care it offers to children. [Read more about the Star-Quality Program.]
Both programs require a program assessment. This part of the licensing process is required for both Child Care Centers and for Family and Group Homes. An assessment (an on-site observation by a highly trained Assessor) evaluates many things. For example, it evaluates the interactions between the children and staff (to be sure that it is appropriate for the age of the children). It also examines the layout and use of space and rooms and looks at health and safety practices. It even makes sure that the program includes appropriate math, language, music, and art activities. For more information on assessments, see the All About Program Assessments page.
When a child care program receives its yearly license from DHS, it will receive a report card showing how it rated in specific areas and overall. (See the DHS site for example report cards.) Providers must post the report card for parents and visitors to see.
Providers who participate in the Star-Quality Child Care Program get a Star Report Card. It is more detailed and more colorful than the regular one. The Star Report Card lists every area that applies to the provider's program and the rating it earned in each one. It also shows the overall star rating—1, 2, or 3 stars. This Star Report Card lets parents know that the provider qualified for and is participating in the Star-Quality Child Care Program.
For more information about report cards, you can read the Tennessee Evaluation and Report Card program fact sheet [PDF] and the Star-Quality program fact sheet [PDF].
Program Updates
August 1, 2009, marked the beginning of program year 9 for the evaluation program. The start of a new program year is the desired time for changes to be made so that all providers will be assessed consistently across the state. Click here to read the most current additional notes.
Many providers are participating in and experiencing the benefits of the PSAM program. PSAM stands for Provider Self-Assessment and Mentoring, and is a provider driven service that the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) offers with funding from the Department of Human Services, with the support of Assessment, Licensing, Project TOPSTAR, UT-SWORPS and TECTA. To answer your questions and find out how you can participate in the program, contact your local CCR & R site. Click here for their locations and contact info. To see which programs have completed PSAM in your region, click here. Effective summer 2009, the responsibility for PSAM Grant purchasing shifted to Signal Centers, Inc. in Chattanooga. Signal Centers has employed staff who will focus solely on PSAM purchasing. It is anticipated that the new system will result in faster receipt of PSAM materials.
The Child Care Exchange magazine is now being distributed to all licensed child care providers in the state of Tennessee six times a year, thru a subscription that has been provided by the Department of Human Services. This publication is a resource for providers with articles on child development, classroom concerns, continuing education, etc. designed to promote quality child care and to support directors/owners in meeting the day-to-day challenges of operating a quality child care business. Each month, the magazine will have a white cover wrap with information that is specific to early childhood education in Tennessee and our efforts to further promote quality awareness. To learn more about this resource, check out the website at www.ChildCareExchange.com
While assessing a program using the Environment Rating Scales, it may become necessary for the assessor to document some or parts of the observation using a digital camera and/or a digital audio recorder. Neither piece of equipment will be used without your knowledge, as the provider will always be informed that the recorder is being turned on. In addition, no children will be photographed and the provider will be notified if any photographs are taken during the assessment. Digital cameras may be used to record observed safety issues, room arrangement, materials, etc. The digital audio recorder may be used to record the opening comments and/or during the teacher questions session.
For family and group homes in Tennessee, this is the last program year to be assessed using the original staple bound Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS). Assessment staff will undergo intensive training on the revised spiral bound version, referred to as the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale - Revised (FCCERS-R) beginning Spring 2010. To help you prepare for use of the new FCCERS-R scale, assessors will distribute copies of the new scale this assessment year at the completion of your last assessment using the FDCRS scale. New family and group home providers will receive a copy of the new FCCERS-R scale from their local CCR&R. The FCCERS-R scale will officially be used starting in August 2010 with Family/Group Home programs with licensing expiration dates of October 2010.
Over the next year, the DHS assessors and many of their partners at CCR&R, UT SWORPS, TECTA, and TOPSTAR will be trained to use the new FCCERS-R scale. As part of their training, assessors and others must conduct practice observations using the new scale at family and group homes. These practice observations last only 2-3 hours and don't include a question session. After the practice observation is completed, assessors will ask you if you would like to receive suggestions on how to prepare for the first official assessment. If you would like this information, it will be given over the phone or in a letter. Please, let us know if you're willing to participate! We would appreciate the opportunity to conduct a practice observation in your home. If you would like to learn more about the new scale and get a head start on preparing for your official assessment, click here.