Brief Overview of Standard: Programs are supported and encouraged to engage in a continuous cycle of quality improvement focused on improved outcomes for children and families.  As programs consider the resources to support their continuous quality improvement efforts, they need to consider creating a plan to guide their improvement work.   

Specific Tools

Continuous Quality Improvement Plan
A Continuous Quality Improvement Plan is required to have the following items:

  • Name of program, program contact, license number and Circle of Quality
  • Identification of program goal(s) and corresponding ExceleRate standard
  •  Identification of steps(s) needed to complete the goal based on last verified assessment completed
  • Projected date of completion and Actual date of completion (when it applies)

Continuous Quality Improvement Plan
To build a continuous quality improvement plan the following resources are recommended for use in ExceleRate:

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Tool Kit
The following resources are meant to aid program leaders in their CQI efforts in staff meetings, and team-building activities. The resources can also be used with CQI local and regional groups engaged in communities of practice as they prepare for ExceleRate.

Informational Resources

pdf Continuous Quality Improvement and ExceleRate Illinois Guide (8.52 MB)
The ultimate goal of ExceleRate Illinois is that young children will be ready for school and ready for life.

Quality standards provide a framework based on research, but to achieve the goal, each program must apply the standards in its own way to meet the unique needs of each enrolled child and family. Each program takes responsibility for improving its own quality on a continuous basis – not just to achieve a rating, but to meet the needs of its children and families. Use this guide to implement a continuous quality improvement plan using the plan-do-study-act improvement cycle.