Quality Indicators for Evaluation of Child Care Centers by Families

Collaborative for Children’s Quality Indicators rate child care centers as Excellent, Good or Minimal in several key areas.

At Collaborative for Children, we know that not all child care is created equal. A high-quality early learning experience is critically important to a child’s growth and development.

That’s why we created our own set of quality indicators for the licensed child care centers in our area. Based on information provided by the child care providers, we assign a rating of Excellent, Good or Minimal in the following areas, and based on the criteria listed below.

TEACHER-TO-CHILD RATIO AND GROUP SIZE

This category refers to the number of children in a classroom or group, and the number of caregivers with them.

• Excellent: All classrooms in the center meet the lower ratios and smaller group sizes established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation standards.
• Good: A majority of classrooms in a center meet lower ratios and smaller group sizes than those required by the Texas Minimum Standard Rules for Licensed Child Care Centers.
• Minimal: The center meets the ratio and group size requirements in the Texas Minimum Standard Rules for Licensed Child Care Centers.

For detailed information on the Texas Minimum Standard Rules for Licensed Child Care Centers established by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, click here.

TEACHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

This evaluation category refers to level of education and training held by the teachers in the center.

• Excellent: A center meets one of the following two criteria: (1) All lead teachers have a Child Development Associate credential or higher OR (2) 25% of lead teachers have an Associate or Baccalaureate degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development.
• Good: 50% of the lead teachers have at least a Child Development Associate credential or 12 credit hours in Early Childhood or Child Development.
• Minimal: All teachers in the center meet the qualifications required by the Minimum Standards (currently high school diploma or equivalent and 24 hours of pre-service training).

TEACHER TENURE

This category refers to the length of time teachers have worked at the center.

• Excellent: The average length of employment in the same center for lead teachers is greater than six years.
• Good: The average length of employment in the same center for lead teachers is between four and six years.
• Minimal: The average length of employment in the same center for lead teachers in less than four years.

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

This category refers to the center’s communication with families, their policies and their opportunities for involvement.

• Excellent: A center offers seven or more of the following: family-friendly policies, parent advisory boards, parent education, volunteer opportunities, parent meetings, family events, parent communication tools, newsletter, parent conferences.
• Good: A center offers four to six of the following: family-friendly policies, parent advisory boards, parent education, volunteer opportunities, parent meetings, family events, parent communication tools, newsletter, parent conferences.
• Minimal: A center offers three of fewer of the following: family-friendly policies, parent advisory boards, parent education, volunteer opportunities, parent meetings, family events, parent communication tools, newsletter, parent conferences.

What You Can Do with Quality Indicators

– Parents: Make informed decisions about your child’s care and education

– Educators: Understand how to improve your center’s rating

– Owners: Use the indicators to become a Center of Excellence

– Donors: Support a system that raises the bar for early learning