Would you like to increase your program’s BrightStars rating? Do you want to improve the quality of care and education in your center, preschool, or family child care home?
The Center for Early Learning Professionals provides customized technical assistance (TA) to help program leaders navigate a process of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). Programs engaged in CQI can successfully increase their BrightStars rating, receive Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) tiered reimbursement rates, and ultimately improve outcomes for children and families.
In the first step of the CQI process, our TA Specialists help program leaders identify program strengths and opportunities for improvement in each BrightStars standard; develop long- and short-term goals that lead to an increased star rating; and create a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) as the road map for attaining those goals. Based on the goals and action steps in the QIP, we work with center-based staff and family child care providers in the following ways:
- Process Consultation — We provide individual support to program leaders, helping them to develop and implement strong management systems that align with the BrightStars Framework—program self-assessment, staff support, curriculum and assessment, and family engagement.
- Professional Development (PD) Advising — We help program leaders to plan program-wide PD, create Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) with staff, and build staff’s knowledge of the state’s Workforce Knowledge and Competency (WKC) Frameworks.
- On-site Coaching — For programs and providers engaged in the CQI process, we offer on-site support for implementation of new teaching practices.
- Small-group TA — We facilitate topical discussions with small groups of colleagues focused on common areas of interest.
- Resource Sharing — We share information on current research and trends and help programs connect to professional organizations that can help them reach their goals.
The Center works in close collaboration with BrightStars to coordinate CQI outreach efforts and TA services leading up to the assessment visit. Together, we ensure that programs receive the support they need to attain their quality improvement goals.
TA services are offered in English and in Spanish.