Parent AwareA Quality Rating System

• What is Parent Aware?• Voluntary Rating Tool • Identifies, recognize, and

celebrates quality in early education

• Designed by professional, child care providers and parents

Pilot Program• Parent Aware began as a

privately funded pilot project in July of 2007

• Purpose: to address the fact that in Minnesota, today nearly half of children arrive at kindergarten underprepared.

Pilot Program• Included: oLicensed child care providers (center

and home based)oEarly educators

• Locations: oBlue Earth and Nicollet CountiesoCity of St. Paul oAreas of North Minneapolis oAreas of Wayzata

Expansion• Minnesota Received: Race To The

Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC)

• “The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge takes a holistic approach to early education, promotes innovation, and focuses on what it takes to help put young children on the path of learning, opportunity, and success.” Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Expansion• RTT-ELC Grant Key

oAligning and raising standards for existing early learning and development programs

o Improving training and support for the early learning workforce through evidence-based practices

oBuilding robust evaluation systems that promote effective practices and programs to help parents make informed decisions.

ExpansionExpansion: • Starts in

2012• Continues to

add counties each year

• Entire state by 2015

Mission• Parent Aware wants all

Minnesota children to be ready for kindergarten• How: By providing free, research-

based tools, and resources that help parents ask important questions and make informed choices about high quality early learning opportunities

Partners• Minnesota Department of Human

Services• Minnesota Early Learning Foundation• Minnesota Child Care Resource &

Referral Network • Minnesota Department of Education• Child Trends• University of Minnesota’s Center for

Early Education and Development• Wilder Research• United Way

Why Participate

• Parent Aware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dGsygtL7FJc

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Process• Visit: http://www.parentawareratings.org/• Contact: Child Care Resource and

Referral Agency at http://mnchildcare.org/• Attend: Information meeting and

Orientation Meeting• Receive: Coaching, training,

rating, marketing tools

Process• Accelerated Process if Accredited• Accreditations that are eligible for Four

Stars Earned:o The National Association for the Education of

Young Children (NAEYC)o The Council on Accreditation (COA)o The National Early Childhood Program

Accreditation (NECPA)o The American Montessori Society (AMS)o The Association Montessori International (AMI)

Components• Points awarded in the

following areas: • Learning environment and curriculum• Adult/child interaction• Staff/provider education• Tracking child progress (assessment)• Children’s health and safety• Family partnerships

Components• Learning environment and

curriculumoUse a curriculum aligned with the

Early Childhood Indicators of Progress or Birth-3 Indicators of Progress in all classrooms

oFull list of aligned curricula listed on website for Infant - Toddler and Prekindergarten

Components• Common aligned curricula

o Bank Street Developmental Interaction Approach

oCreative Curriculum• Family Child Care• Preschool • Infants, Toddlers, and Twos

o The High Scope• Preschool Curriculum• Infant/Toddler Curriculum

o Montessori

Components• Adult/child interactionoClassroom Assessment Scoring

System (CLASS) oGoal of CLASS• Positive Climate• Concept Development

Components• Tracking child progress

(Assessment)• Conducted at lease twice a year• Assess all areas of the Early Childhood

Indicators of Progress or Birth-3 Indicators of Progress in all classrooms

• Aligned assessment available of website

Components• Common aligned assessments

oHigh/Scope • Infant-Toddler Child Observation Record • Preschool Child

oObservation Record o The Ounce Scale o Teaching Strategies-Gold Assessment oWork Sampling System

Components• Staff/provider education• Educational level• Special trainings

o Health and Wellnesso Special needs childreno Developmental areaso Cultures and socioeconomic levels

differences

Components• Children’s health and safety• Examples: • Supporting families needs in areas

of medical assistance• Public health services• Consultants

Components• Family PartnershipsoChild Care Assistance ProgramoMinnesota Family Investment

Program oMedical assistanceoPublic health servicesoBridge to Benefits –

https//mn.bridgetobenefits.org

Trainings• Minnesota Center for

Professional DevelopmentoProvides trainings oTracks progress of each

professionaloWebsite: http://mncpd.org/