Early Learning Quality Improvement System (ELQIS) Advisory Committee

Early Learning Quality Improvement System (ELQIS) Advisory Committee

Senate Bill 1629 (Steinberg) was passed in 2008 establishing the development of a policy and implementation plan for an Early Learning Quality Improvement System for early education programs.

The purpose of the Early Learning Quality Improvement System (ELQIS) Advisory Committee is to improve outcomes for children and reduce California's school readiness gap by improving the quality of our early learning and care programs.

The recommended system will likely include:

GET INVOLVED

The ELQIS committee will meet at least four times a year and will be supported by subcommittees

Visit CDE's ELQIS Page
ELQIS Subcommittees and Work Plans
ELQIS Scope of Work

Meetings are held in the Sacramento area and broadcast live to locations around the state. Visit the P4P Calendar or CDE's ELQIS page to find out when and where you can attend the next meeting.

To join our discussion about ELQIS click here.

What ELQIS could mean for parents and the early care and education field

The committee intends to create a system which will support and improve quality of existing early learning environments and increase the number of highly qualified early learning professionals in the field. After the implementation of a Quality Improvement System, parents will have greater access to information regarding quality care and providers will have greater support for providing quality care and hiring highly qualified early learning professionals.

What is a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)?

A QRIS is a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care programs. QRIS' generally award quality ratings to programs that meet a set of defined program standards. These systems provide an opportunity to increase the quality of care for children; increase parents' understanding and demand for higher quality care; and increase professional development of child care providers. A QRIS can also be a strategy for aligning components of the early care and education system for increased accountability in improving quality of care. All QRIS' are composed of five common elements: (1) standards, (2) accountability measures, (3) program and practitioner outreach and support, (4) financing incentives, and (5) parent/consumer education efforts.

How do Quality Rating and Improvement Systems help families?

Parents want to know their children are safe, healthy and having fun while in child care or preschool. Quality Improvement Systems offer information about high-quality child care providers to help parents find the right child care for their families. Children who are in high-quality child care are more likely to start school ready to succeed.

Why is this important?

The field has a stake in what quality measures and tools are adopted, as well as what supports are put in place. Early Learning professionals should have input into the process to ensure that they reflect our values, accurately measure quality, and constructively support quality improvement.

What does California's ECE field have now?

The California Department of Education, Child Development Division has released the Preschool Foundations, which are intended to provide the child development field with research-based competencies - knowledge and skills - that we can expect most children to exhibit in a quality program as they complete their first or second year of preschool.

Many states and several counties in California have developed various quality assessment models. In most cases these are connected to Preschool For All or Universal Preschool efforts. For more information on these, see our Rating System research section here. You may also wish to review the ELQIS Committee's meeting materials and presentations, which review other states' models.