1-045 - Charting a Course for the Future in Measuring Quality in Early Care and Education Settings

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Measuring quality is ubiquitous in early care and education (ECE) research, policy, and program implementation. There are multiple measures designed to be used at the program or classroom level. Some classroom level measures focus on global quality while others focus on specific domains. A small set of observational measures are frequently used for various purposes, including describing the quality of ECE in research studies, serving as one component in a public rating of quality as part of a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) or accountability system, and informing professional development and technical assistance. Yet the research notes multiple challenges and limitations with current measures, including modest relationships between quality measures and child outcomes and difficulty obtaining and maintaining high-levels of inter-rater agreement. This session builds on expert meetings on measurement hosted by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Panelists will begin the session by highlighting key research and challenges in measuring quality. This will be followed by a moderated discussion among panelists and participants on current measurement issues and ideas for strengthening the measurement of quality in ECE that are appropriate for research, policy, and practice. Moderator: Dr. Kelly Maxwell

Sub Unit

• Methods, History, Theory

Moderator

• Kelly Maxwell, Child Trends

Panelists

• Amy Madigan, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, ACF

• Diane Marie Early, Child Trends

• Diane Horm, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa