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What is the Quality Counts - Quality Rating System (QRS)? Download the FAQs in PDF format. What is the Quality Counts- Quality Rating System (QRS)? A voluntary System for early childhood and school-age care providers who meet specific indicators of quality child care. Providers who meet required criteria are awarded a QRS Certification. Providers caring for children who are eligible for state child care assistance also receive an add-on to the standard reimbursement rate. QRS is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). What is the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)? The Child Care Assistance Program is an IDHS funded program that helps pay child care expenses for families of low-income. Parents must be working or in an approved education or training program. CCAP is an income-based program in which parents are assessed a co-payment based on their family size and income. Parents are able to select child care providers who fit their family's needs, either through the certificate program, in which applications and payments are processed through local Child Care Resource & Referral agencies (CCR&R) or by choosing a facility that has a contract to provide child care services for families of low income. Why should my program participate in QRS? Being eligible for QRS means your program has achieved specific quality indicators. QRS Certification can be used as a marketing tool, showing parents/guardians that your program is recognized by the State of Illinois for commitment to providing higher quality care. A QRS Certification results in a quality add-on to the state standard rate for providers who care for CCAP children. This quality add-on assists with the higher costs of offering quality care. License-exempt family child care providers and Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) licensed family/group home and center-based child care providers can apply. Licensed School-Age programs are also eligible to apply. Specific training must be completed and eligibility requirements met for a provider to apply for QRS. Licensed Programs must be licensed for 1 year prior to applying to QRS. Licensed Center programs must care for children full day (defined as 8 or more consecutive hours) and operate a minimum of 9 months per year. Licensed School-Age programs must care for children a minimum of 9 months per year. The application process is administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA). Is there an application fee for QRS? There is no application fee for QRS at this time. How does QRS work? What must a program/provider do to be eligible? QRS offers levels which can be achieved depending on the type of care provided. Specific quality criteria must be met to achieve a level. Once a child care provider has met the required criteria for a level, they are awarded a QRS Certification. Providers caring for CCAP children receive a quality add-on to the standard reimbursement rate. For license-exempt family child care, there are three Training Tiers to achieve. Approved training includes the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity ECE Credential Level 1 modules covering health, safety, child development and much more. Once a provider completes a training tier, they receive a QRS Training Tier Certification. Providers caring for CCAP children receive a quality add-on to the standard CCAP rate of 10%, 15%, or 20% (depending on which tier has been completed). For licensed programs, there are four Star Levels. There are various indicators of quality that need to be achieved at each Star Level. For each Star Level, the child care learning environment is evaluated by an independent assessor. To learn more about assessment, you are required to attend an Environment Rating Scale Training. You will need to attend the Business Administration Scale (BAS) training for family child care providers or Program Administration Scale (PAS) training for center based programs before you can apply at Star Level 3 or Star Level 4. All of these trainings are offered by your local CCR&R for a fee of $15 each. Programs achieving a level will receive a QRS Star Level Certification. Providers caring for CCAP children receive a quality add-on to the standard CCAP rate of 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20%. Technical assistance, consultation and training for all provider types is provided by local CCR&Rs. To find the CCR&R in your area, contact 877-202-4453 or visit the Quality Counts website. What training is required in order to apply for QRS? In order to apply for QRS, attendance at the following Orientation and trainings are required for each type of provider. Orientation and trainings are offered by local Child Care Resource & Referrals (CCR&R). License-Exempt Family Child Care Providers
*In fiscal year 2012 (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012) each 3 hour training module is offered at no cost. Licensed Family/Group Home Child Care Providers
* ERS and BAS trainings are $15 each. Licensed Child Care Centers and School-Age Programs
* ERS and PAS trainings are $15 each. Does my program currently have to be caring for CCAP children to apply for QRS? No, programs do not have to be serving CCAP children to apply for QRS. However, providers that are awarded QRS Certification and are caring for CCAP children will receive a quality add-on to the standard rate. What is the timeframe of the application process? When can my program expect the CCAP quality add-on rate if found eligible? A license-exempt family child care provider may submit their application and training attendance certificates after completing the Orientation and training sessions for at least Tier 1. INCCRRA will review the materials submitted and issue a letter within 30 days. If a CCAP provider is eligible, the quality add-on rate will take effect the month following approval. For licensed family/group home and licensed center-based child care providers, the application process may take up to 5 months from the date of submission of the application to the INCCRRA office. Eligible CCAP programs will receive the quality add-on rate the month following eligibility notification. Will the CCAP quality add-on rate be retroactive to the date of application? No, the CCAP quality add-on is not retroactive. The add-on rate is effective the month after a program receives QRS eligibility notification. If a licensed program is eligible for a QRS Star Level Certification, how long does the Star Level remain in effect? Licensed programs must complete an annual report each year to verify certain quality indicators, such as IDCFS license in good standing and provider training/qualifications. Assessments must be completed every 3 years. You will be notified by INCCRRA when you need to complete an annual report. If my program is not eligible for the Tier/Star Level applied for, will my program be eligible for the Tier/Star Level before it? If a program is not eligible for the Tier/Star Level applied for, a QRS counselor will review all the documentation, and determine if the program is eligible for a Tier/Star Level before it. If found ineligible, when can my program reapply to QRS? If a license-exempt family home provider is found ineligible, they may reapply after completing the training session(s) for a Tier that were not complete. Licensed providers who are missing training hours or other qualifications, can reapply when these requirements are met. If the program's ERS, BAS or PAS score is not high enough for the Star Level applied for, the provider must wait one year before reapplying. What is National Accreditation? Accreditation is a voluntary process that provides family child care homes, centers and school- age programs the opportunity to examine their services based on recognized standards of high quality. IDHS has funds available through local CCR&Rs to assist in obtaining the following Accreditations:
What are the Environment Rating Scales (ERS)? Environment Rating Scales are program assessment tools used by programs/providers to measure and assess the level of quality in a program. These are user-friendly tools designed for the following program types and/or age groups.
Environment Rating Scales can be used by a provider/program for self-assessment, or by an outside consultant or assessor. In order to be eligible for QRS, an ERS assessment must be conducted by an assigned assessor. What is the Business Administration Scale (BAS)/ Program Administration Scale (PAS)? The Business Administration Scale (BAS) and Program Administration Scales (PAS) are user-friendly assessment tools designed to assess the quality of administrative management practices in family child care programs and centers respectively. Areas the BAS assesses in family child care homes include: work environment, fiscal management, record keeping, provider-parent communication and marketing/public relations. The PAS assessment for centers looks at 25 items grouped in 10 categories that include: human resources development, personnel cost and allocation, center operations, child assessment, fiscal management, program planning and evaluation, family partnerships, marketing and public relations, technology, and staff qualifications. BAS & PAS can be used by a provider/program for self-assessment, or by an outside consultant or assessor. In order to be eligible for QRS, a BAS assessment must be conducted by an assigned assessor in family/group homes and a PAS assessment must be conducted by an assigned assessor in centers. Where can I learn more about QRS? Contact the QRS Specialist at your local CCR&R. You may also contact the INCCRRA office at 866-697-8278 to speak to a QRS counselor. |