Program Standards

This section includes information about:

• National/professional organization recommendations
• State examples of program standards and quality indicators
• Measurement tools

Early childhood programs across the country are developing program standards as the yard stick against which program quality is measured. Program standards may focus on the system policies (e.g. policies ensure that family supports, service coordination, transitions, and other practices occur in response to child and family needs rather than being determined by the age of the child), or may focus directly on services (e.g. appropriate ratio of children to adults throughout the day, teacher/provider level of education or training).

A variety of terms are used to communicate the same concept, including quality indicators, standards, readiness of schools, program outcomes and early learning standards. Variation also exists with respect to program standards established for typically developing children, children with disabilities, or all children.

National/professional organization recommendations

• Administrator's Essentials: Creating Policies and Procedures that Support Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education, was published in DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (2002). The paper includes a checklist of relevant recommended practices that can be used by administrators to reflect on their policies.
• Self-Assessment: Child-Focused Interventions, was published in DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (2000). The self-assessment is a tool that professionals can use to determine how they are doing when it comes to the delivery of instruction and support for children with disabilities.
• Early Learning Standards: Creating the Conditions for Success (PDF: 62kb) is a joint position statement of The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE). The paper outlines four essential features of a developmentally effective system of early learning standards.
• The Communication Supports Checklist for Programs Serving Individuals with Severe Disabilities is a program evaluation tool available through the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA). The tool includes quality indicators, evaluation checklist, action plan development, and a presentation of the "Communication Bill of Rights" developed by the National Joint Committee on the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities.

State examples of program standards and quality indicators

• The Massachusetts Cost and Quality Study, is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Child Care Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study examines full-day, year-round, community-based center care for preschool-age children and for infants and toddlers. In 1999-2000, 90 preschool classrooms were observed and directors were interviewed about the costs of providing care. In 2001-2002, 200 infant/toddler classrooms were observed and directors were interviewed about costs. The Massachusetts Early Care and Education Study also provides information on Indicators of Quality Full-time Preschool Programs.
• North Carolina School Readiness Assessment looks at both the condition of children when they enter school (Kindergarten) and the capacity of schools to educate all children, whatever each child's condition may be. The condition of children includes health and physical development, social and emotional development, approaches toward learning, language development and communication, and cognition and general knowledge. The readiness of schools includes: (1) knowledge of growth and development of typically and atypically developing children, (2) knowledge of the strengths, interests, and needs of each child, (3) knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which each child and family lives, and (4) ability to translate developmental knowledge into developmentally appropriate practices.
• Illinois Birth to Three Program Standards and Quality Indicators & Resource Guide (draft) presents draft standards related to organization, curriculum and service provision, developmental monitoring and program accountability, personnel, and family and community partnerships.

Measurement tools

• Environment Rating Scales are available to professionals serving young children through the FPG Child Development Institute. Scales include:
• Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R), designed to assess group programs for children of preschool through kindergarten age, 2½ through 5;
• Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale, Revised (ITERS-R), designed to assess group programs for children from birth to 2½ years of age;
• Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS), designed to assess family child care programs conducted in a provider's home;
• School Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS), designed to assess group-care programs for children of school age, 5 to 12.
• Assessing Program Quality, National Center for Early Development and Learning, Spotlights No. 7, February 1999. (PDF: 42kb) The article discusses the NCEDL development of the Early Intervention Services Assessment Scale to comprehensively assess the quality of early intervention services.