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"Childishness follows us all the days of our life." - La Rochefoucauld

States Moving to Rate Early Childhood Programs

The governors of Wisconsin, Arizona and Iowa have unveiled systems for rating early childhood programs as part of the legislative agendas for 2005.  As reported in Education Week (February 9, 2005, www.edweek.org), Governor James Doyle of Wisconsin reasons,

"Right now we pay the worst child-care facility and the best child-care facility the same amount and that's wrong.  My plan will reward quality, encourage improvement, and give parents the information they need to choose the right child-care center."  

Under the systems proposed by these three governors, centers with higher ratings would receive more state child care funding than would centers with lower ratings.  In addition, highly rated centers or preschools would be more likely to be chosen to take part in the states' preschool programs.  According to Education Week, early childhood providers argue that any financial incentives tied to ratings need to be based on what it truly costs to provide high quality care, and that technical assistance must be part of the system to help programs improve.

Accoding to the National Child Care Information Center, 16 states currently have some form of quality rating systems in place.

For support in developing a high quality early childhood program, check out Exchange's best seller, The Art of Leadership:  Managing Early Childhood Organizations at: http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/0554

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