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August 10, 2011
Expand Parent Aware Child Care Rating System
Governor Dayton yesterday announced an expansion of the Parent Aware child care rating system piloted by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation (MELF). MELF Executive Director Duane Benson released a statement applauding the governor's decision. Named the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) by Gov. Dayton, Parent Aware rates early childhood institutional quality on a one to four star level to encourage informed choices by parents, and by institutions to improve the quality of their care.
Citizens League supports the expansion of this rating system as part of our Pathways to Prosperity project. Additionally, we want to further explore the Parent Aware approach in relation to the community schools efforts taking place in Minneapolis (Neighborhood Achievement Zone), St. Paul (Achievement Plus and Promise Neighborhoods) and the Brooklyn Center Community Schools approach. Are there opportunities to improve early childhood care availability and access and begin providing conditional cash transfers (CCTs) for families that choose highly rated programs?
Though we don't yet know the answers to these questions, we think this is an excellent first step in making the high quality ratings more central to what we all pay for.
Posted by Adam Arling at August 10, 2011 4:20 PM