Engaging Licensed Family Child Care Providers in QRIS: What Works?

• In Event: 1-215 - No One Right Way: Understanding Heterogeneity among Providers and Quality Improvement in Home-Based Child Care

Integrative Statement

The engagement of family child care (FCC) providers in quality improvement efforts has become crucial as national data highlight the scale of home-based care in the US (NSECE Project Team, 2015). Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) have emerged as a state-level strategy to set quality standards across early childhood sectors as well as rate the quality of early childhood programs. Although many states are attempting to engage FCC in QRIS as a means to improve the quality of services provided to young children, participation rates are typically lower for FCC than center-based programs. In addition, FCC tend to access fewer quality improvement supports available in QRIS systems and tend to be rated at lower quality levels relative to their center-based counterparts (Tout, Starr, Soli, Moodie, Kirby, & Boller, 2010; Smith, Schneider, & Kreader, 2010).

This study examines the components of a specific model of quality improvement supports (Stars Plus) offered in one state’s QRIS. The components of the model include on-site technical assistance, coordinated professional development, and monthly community of practice (COP) meetings. Specifically, this study aims to describe the participation rates of FCC in Stars Plus across the three components and compare the associations between participation in model components relative to the achievement of higher quality levels.

A combined dataset was created using data from the state’s office of child care licensing, the QRIS, and the US Census. These data sources were merged and matched using a common provider identification number. Data were drawn from child care licensing and the QRIS database monthly from May 2014–May 2016. During the creation of the dataset, ongoing conversations with data administrators at each agency occurred to ensure that the variables included were interpreted and matched correctly. The invitation to participate in the Stars Plus supplemental programming was made available to all FCC serving children receiving child care subsidy or residing in a low-income area. 100 providers (36% of the eligible group) selected to participate in the Stars Plus supplement.

A logistic regression model was used to examine how the components of participation in the Stars Plus program (participation in COP meetings, number of PD hours used per month and number of on-site TA support used per month) on the long-term success of a program in Stars, adjusting for years licensed and poverty density. Success is defined as progressing to Star Level 4 or 5 during the course of the study. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test was used to assess the overall model fit.

Findings highlight significant uptake of the different model components within the Stars Plus group (see Table 1). Regression results (see Table 2) indicate that participation in monthly COP meetings predicted achievement of higher quality levels in the QRIS. Study findings highlight the need for more intensive study of the type of quality improvement strategies utilized for this unique caregiving sector. In particular, the inclusion of quality initiatives that include social support, e.g. COP, may be an important aspect of service to FCC.

Authors

• Rena Hallam, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author

• Alison Hooper, University of Alabama
  Non-Presenting Author

• Martha Buell, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Myae Han, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Melissa Ziegler, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author