Defining Quality

Quality child care and early education may mean different things to different people. Virginia Beach helps parents by defining quality in terms of what has been proven to provide the optimal learning environment for young children. What does that mean for you as a provider? Below are simple guidelines to help you assess your center’s environment and instructional practices, with added information on enrolling in our local quality rating and improvement system, VSQI.

• Tours. We encourage parents to make a personal visit to any potential childcare site, so they may observe their children’s future classroom. The center should seem open and welcoming to visitors and have an open-door policy for parents. Teachers should interact respectfully with parents and communicate about the children in a loving and positive manner.
• Who are the teachers? Parents and teachers are important partners in a child’s development. Teachers should be open and welcoming, both to parents and children. Stability is important to young children, so seek to implement strategies that will keep your teachers around and reduce staff turnover. Do lead and assistant teachers have degrees or specializations in early childhood? Bonus points for staff that are continuing their education or working toward a higher degree.
• The basics. Classroom furniture and playground should be safe, clean, and in good condition. State licensing standards cover the basics of health and safety for childcare centers, including legal ratios of children to teachers; an up-to-date license should be on display in the center. Above and beyond the basic regulations, it is a good idea to become accredited by a recognized independent agency; for example, NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) or AdvancED. We also encourage you to enroll in the Virginia Quality Initiative. See below for more information. For information on getting help with these accreditations, please contact GrowSmart at: VBGrowsmart@vbgov.com.
• Are the kids happy? This may seem obvious, but the social atmosphere of the center and each classroom are of great importance. Are children happy in the classroom? Are the teachers warm and welcoming toward children, speaking kindly to them? How do teachers and other staff address discipline issues? Parents will be looking for a consistent and loving approach to discipline and addressing challenging behaviors.
• The learning environment. Children should be engaged in activities and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of hands-on learning experiences. Classrooms should have “centers,” such as an art center, housekeeping center, blocks center, and a comfortable library displaying books in good condition. An instructional schedule should be posted in each classroom. It should describe a variety of activities available to the children daily, including unstructured play outdoors (weather permitting, of course!). Children’s work should be displayed in the classroom at eye-level. All staff should talk kindly with children and value them as individuals. Teachers should work with children directly in one-on-one and in small groups, in addition to whole-group formats.

Sources: www.smartbeginningsshr.org, www.preknow.org, www.dss.virginia.gov/family/cc

Is your center rated?

The answer could be in the level Virginia Quality is the “consumer reports” of childcare; a tool to help parents recognize quality in early childhood settings. Centers receive level ratings on four nationally recognized quality standards and best practices: Staff Education & qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment, Environment, and Interactions.

Unsure if your center is participates in VQ? Ask! Or, go directly to the Virginia Quality website where the ratings are published. Search by city or center name to find out how many stars the center earned in their most recent rating. On this site, you can also learn about the tools that are used in the rating and more information of the four quality standards: teacher education and qualifications, curriculum and assessment, environment and interactions.

Building on state licensing standards, VQ provides a method to assess, improve and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings that families consider for their children. The rating scale defines standards for early childhood education, provides accountability measures, supports centers in improving and maintaining higher quality programs and improves the information available to parents.