Enhancing Quality - Validated - Great Start to Quality

Enhancing Quality – Validated

What it Means

Validation is the process by which members of the Validation Team and the Early Childhood Investment Corporation review a program’s Self-Reflection responses and corresponding evidence. The results of the Validation are shared publicly so families can review the strengths of each program during their search for child care.

Why it’s Important

The Quality Indicators in the Self-Reflection offer programs a guide for what high-quality practices look like in the program. Because Great Start to Quality is meant to help families understand the level of care and commitment to quality improvement at each program, it’s important to review the evidence of high-quality practices to ensure the program is meeting the intent of the indicators. Once the Validation is complete, the results will be made available to families on the public profile for the program. This will allow families to make more informed decisions about the care choices they make for their child.

Process

Every program that applies for a Validation and On-Site Observation will receive a Validation. Once the program has a completed Validation, they will immediately be contacted to schedule an On-Site Observation.

A member of the Validation Team will review the Self-Reflection and the uploaded evidence. A Validator will have a conversation with the program about the Self-Reflection and evidence. During the validation phone call, the program and the Validator may identify additional evidence is needed. The program will be given one full week to upload the additional evidence and resubmit the Self-Reflection. If the program chooses not to have a validation phone call, there will be no option for additional evidence to be uploaded after the Self-Reflection is submitted.

After the Validation is complete, the program will receive results from a Quality Improvement Coach from the local Great Start to Quality Resource Center.

Proration of Professional Development

Use the Proration for Professional Development charts to determine the number of professional development clock hours needed for staff hired within the last year and/or for programs that opened within the last year.

Proration of Qualifications

Great Start to Quality will prorate qualifications for employees hired within 90 days of the Self-Reflection submission. This change is being implemented to ensure that new employees have time to submit qualifications to MiRegistry for review and membership processing. It is important to note that while we will be prorating employment, all employees must be linked in the Employees tab of the Organization Profile regardless of their hire date.

Staffing Situations	Requirement
Staff hired within the last 90 days	– Do not need a membership status Qualifications are not reviewed
Staff employed longer than 90 days	– Need a membership status of Awaiting Print, Current, or Expired – Qualifications are reviewed using the Staff Qualification report
When there is only one staff person for each position (e.g., administrator, director, lead, assistants) and they were hired within the last 90 days	– Need a membership status of Awaiting Print, Current, or Expired – Qualifications are reviewed using the Staff Qualification report
When all staff for each position (e.g., administrator, director, lead, assistants) were hired within the last 90 days at least one staff person in each position	– Need a membership status of Awaiting Print, Current, or Expired – Qualifications are reviewed using the Staff Qualification report

MiRegistry membership status of Awaiting Print, Current, or Expired will allow the Validation Team access to the employee’s verified qualifications.

Quality Indicator Guidance

The document is for planning and reflection purposes only and can help when completing the Self-Reflection. The document lists all the Quality Indicators, shares why they are measures of quality in early care and education programs, and lists examples of evidence of high-quality practices. It is intended to be a working document to use throughout the quality improvement process, however it is is not required.