Step Up to Quality Overview
Nebraska's Path to Early Childhood Quality Improvement
OVERVIEW Goals established for Step Up to Quality: Improve early care and education quality and increase positive child outcomes by: • Informing parents in understandable and measurable terms about program quality; • Promoting accountability for all public funding in early care and education; • Improving director and teacher effectiveness through training, education, and coaching; • Strengthening standards, assessment processes and use of data to inform program quality and to support continuous improvement.
Nebraska Step Up to Quality Levels Step One
Step Two
Step Three
All DHHS Licensed
Program director/owner
Public school district-operated, Educational Service Unit
Child Care Programs
completes professional
operated, Head Start or Early Head Start Programs, and
and Providers who
development requirements
nationally accredited programs are eligible to enter at Step Three
serve children birth to
of Step Two.
due to meeting higher standards.
kindergarten and apply
All participating program and staff information must
Step Five
Complete application to participate and are verified at a minimum
to participate in Step Up to Quality.
Step Four
of 30 points. Programs complete additional
Child Care Center 30 - 50 Points 51 - 79 Points 80 - 100 Points health and safety selfassessment (beyond what is in Program Curriculum, Learning Environment, and Interactions - 66 Points Child Outcomes - 9 Points licensing).
be entered in the
Professional Development and Training - 11 Points
Early Childhood
Family Engagement and Partnership - 6 Points
Professional Record
Program Administration - 8 Points
System.
Total Points for Child Care Center = 100 Points Family Child Care Homes 30 - 43 Points 44 - 58 Points 59 - 82 Points Program Curriculum, Learning Environment, and Interactions - 48 Points Child Outcomes - 9 Points Professional Development and Training - 11 Points Family Engagement and Partnership - 6 Points Program Administration - 8 Points
Technical Assistance Revised 6/18/15
Coaching
Total Points for Child Care Center = 82 Points
In Steps Three through Five: • Programs can self-select which points to focus on in each standard area. • Programs must get at least 1 point in each standard area. • Programs meeting Head Start Performance Standards, School-District operated early childhood programs, or programs achieving national accreditation automatically start at Step Three. • All programs receive a rating for Steps Three - Five through outside observation by a reliable assessor (using an Environment Rating Scale or the CLASS Observation Scale) to verify that the quality of the program meets commonly understood measures of quality. • Programs would be observed every two years at Steps Three and Four. Programs at Step Five would be observed every five years provided there were not significant indicators of problems (licensing violations, director turnover, high staff turnover, etc.).
Additional Resources and Benefits: • Professional Development (training addressing licensing requirements and standard areas of Step Up to Quality). • Coaching and Technical Assistance (initial coaching evaluation conducted and determination of need for ongoing coaching via phone and onsite to assist director, and teachers in improving quality). • Scholarships for teaching staff to access to college coursework. • Reports from observations to help focus on areas for improvement. • Quality incentive bonuses available when moving from Step Two or higher. • Subsidy incentives at Steps Three, Four and Five on the Step Up to Quality if the program accepts child care subsidy.
Proposed Phased Start Up: Voluntary for any program who wants to participate.
Required for: Year 1 - Those programs receiving $500,000 or more annually in child care subsidy. Year 2 - Those programs receiving $250,000 or more annually in child care subsidy. Year 3 - Those programs receiving $250,000 or more annually in child care subsidy in the preceding fiscal year.
Ratings Go Public: 2017 Communication Plan in 2017: To inform parents and families about Nebraska Step Up to Quality and what Steps mean.
Contact Step Up to Quality
Nebraska Department of Education Office of Early Childhood
1-844-807-5712 [email protected]
Eleanor J. Shirley Step Up to Quality Director
Melody Hobson Administrator
402-471-3501 [email protected]
402-471-0263 [email protected]
www.education.ne.gov/StepUpToQuality
Nebraska Step Up to Quality Child Care Act is a provision of Nebraska Legislative Bill 507 (June, 2013), developed and implemented in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Revised 6/18/15
OVERVIEW Goals established for Step Up to Quality: Improve early care and education quality and increase positive child outcomes by: • Informing parents in understandable and measurable terms about program quality; • Promoting accountability for all public funding in early care and education; • Improving director and teacher effectiveness through training, education, and coaching; • Strengthening standards, assessment processes and use of data to inform program quality and to support continuous improvement.
Nebraska Step Up to Quality Levels Step One
Step Two
Step Three
All DHHS Licensed
Program director/owner
Public school district-operated, Educational Service Unit
Child Care Programs
completes professional
operated, Head Start or Early Head Start Programs, and
and Providers who
development requirements
nationally accredited programs are eligible to enter at Step Three
serve children birth to
of Step Two.
due to meeting higher standards.
kindergarten and apply
All participating program and staff information must
Step Five
Complete application to participate and are verified at a minimum
to participate in Step Up to Quality.
Step Four
of 30 points. Programs complete additional
Child Care Center 30 - 50 Points 51 - 79 Points 80 - 100 Points health and safety selfassessment (beyond what is in Program Curriculum, Learning Environment, and Interactions - 66 Points Child Outcomes - 9 Points licensing).
be entered in the
Professional Development and Training - 11 Points
Early Childhood
Family Engagement and Partnership - 6 Points
Professional Record
Program Administration - 8 Points
System.
Total Points for Child Care Center = 100 Points Family Child Care Homes 30 - 43 Points 44 - 58 Points 59 - 82 Points Program Curriculum, Learning Environment, and Interactions - 48 Points Child Outcomes - 9 Points Professional Development and Training - 11 Points Family Engagement and Partnership - 6 Points Program Administration - 8 Points
Technical Assistance Revised 6/18/15
Coaching
Total Points for Child Care Center = 82 Points
In Steps Three through Five: • Programs can self-select which points to focus on in each standard area. • Programs must get at least 1 point in each standard area. • Programs meeting Head Start Performance Standards, School-District operated early childhood programs, or programs achieving national accreditation automatically start at Step Three. • All programs receive a rating for Steps Three - Five through outside observation by a reliable assessor (using an Environment Rating Scale or the CLASS Observation Scale) to verify that the quality of the program meets commonly understood measures of quality. • Programs would be observed every two years at Steps Three and Four. Programs at Step Five would be observed every five years provided there were not significant indicators of problems (licensing violations, director turnover, high staff turnover, etc.).
Additional Resources and Benefits: • Professional Development (training addressing licensing requirements and standard areas of Step Up to Quality). • Coaching and Technical Assistance (initial coaching evaluation conducted and determination of need for ongoing coaching via phone and onsite to assist director, and teachers in improving quality). • Scholarships for teaching staff to access to college coursework. • Reports from observations to help focus on areas for improvement. • Quality incentive bonuses available when moving from Step Two or higher. • Subsidy incentives at Steps Three, Four and Five on the Step Up to Quality if the program accepts child care subsidy.
Proposed Phased Start Up: Voluntary for any program who wants to participate.
Required for: Year 1 - Those programs receiving $500,000 or more annually in child care subsidy. Year 2 - Those programs receiving $250,000 or more annually in child care subsidy. Year 3 - Those programs receiving $250,000 or more annually in child care subsidy in the preceding fiscal year.
Ratings Go Public: 2017 Communication Plan in 2017: To inform parents and families about Nebraska Step Up to Quality and what Steps mean.
Contact Step Up to Quality
Nebraska Department of Education Office of Early Childhood
1-844-807-5712 [email protected]
Eleanor J. Shirley Step Up to Quality Director
Melody Hobson Administrator
402-471-3501 [email protected]
402-471-0263 [email protected]
www.education.ne.gov/StepUpToQuality
Nebraska Step Up to Quality Child Care Act is a provision of Nebraska Legislative Bill 507 (June, 2013), developed and implemented in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Revised 6/18/15
