ExceleRate Support & Technical Assistance
Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies have at least one Quality Specialist (QS) and an Infant Toddler Child Care Specialist (ITCCS) available to provide technical assistance and consultation to help your program prepare for application to ExceleRate, as well as help your program maintain a Circle of Quality once achieved. Specialists can provide support to programs including:
- Meeting with staff to discuss ExceleRate requirements, standards, expectations, preparation, and how teacher involvement in the process is crucial and beneficial to their classroom.
- Working with staff on classroom self-assessment and how to make improvements for better learning environment arrangement and structure, and better use of materials and interactions in children's play.
- Assisting the director/family child care provider in program self-assessment and enhancing program policy and procedures.
- Guidance in the development of a Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (CQIP) to help guide the program's short and long term goals.
- Information on CCR&R Quality Improvement Funds to help your program purchase needed materials to improve program quality as you work towards achieving/maintaining a Circle of Quality.
- Environment Rating Scale (ERS) training to learn the basics of using the ERS within the program.
- Guidance towards locating other trainings required within ExceleRate standards.
- Assistance with developing a system of organization for your ExceleRate documentation portfolio needed for on-site assessment.
While working with a QS or ITCCS is a requirement of the Silver Circle of Quality, it is strongly encouraged that programs working towards the Gold Circle of Quality also reach out for assistance.