Five Important Updates for Quality First Participants
Quality First is committed to quality improvement, and to you, the Quality First participant. In recent months we have been working on the following improvements--which we are excited to announce.
Formal Assessment and Rating begin in September
Quality First assessment is a valuable support in the improvement process, providing objective and reliable measures of the everyday experiences of the children in your program. Quality First will resume formal assessment in September 2021.
Formal assessment has been paused since March 2020 due to the pandemic, and as a result most participants are now due for a new assessment and star rating. Quality First will not be able to assess all programs this year. It will likely take two years or more to assess all programs, including new programs joining this year.
If you are new to Quality First and have not yet had your initial assessment, when it is your turn, the assessor will call you to schedule your initial assessment visit. For all other participants, the assessor will call you to notify you of your three-week window for assessment.
Quality First Assessors follow strict health and safety protocols to keep you, your staff and children safe. Before the visit, the assessor will call you to complete a health questionnaire to ask about current conditions at your program. During the visit, the assessor will follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local public health authorities for hand hygiene, masking, physical distancing and limiting cross-contamination.
Updated Star Rating Scale
In consultation with the Quality First Advisory Committee and with approval from the First Things First Board, we are pleased to share that the Quality First Star Rating Scale has been updated. These technical changes will help ensure the star rating scale measures the quality practices that help children be ready to succeed in school and in life.
Updates to the scale include:
- Using the newest versions of the Environment Rating Scales tools (ERS-3)
- Including CLASS Infant scores in the calculation of a rating
- Adding minimum CLASS scores that all classrooms must meet to achieve a 3-5 star rating
- Increasing the minimum ERS score that all classrooms must meet to achieve a 5-star rating
- Assigning a rating to nationally accredited and Head Start programs using only the CLASS assessments and with a minimum rating of 2-stars
- Moving the Quality First Points Scale assessment into a programmatic component
To view the updated scale, visit the Quality First extranet. From the Quality First dashboard, scroll to “Quality First Resources” and select “Quality First Star Rating Scale revised 6.25.21.”
Public Rating Policy - Temporary Modification*
Quality First recognizes the importance of having time to engage in improvement activities before assigning a rating. In recognition of formal assessment and rating resuming in September and the significant impact that COVID-19 has had on Arizona’s early childhood community, the First Things First Board has approved the following temporary adjustments for Quality First participants assessed in State Fiscal Year 2022 (through June 30, 2022):
- The participants’ new star rating will not be automatically posted on the Quality First website. Participants may request a public posting.
- The higher of the new star rating and the immediately previous star rating will be used with respect to all policies related to Quality First incentives and scholarships, including incentive amounts and scholarship eligibility and reimbursement rates.
This FTF Board-approved policy adjustment will allow programs assessed in SFY22 the additional time needed to receive quality supports while recovering from the pandemic.
*These temporary modifications ONLY apply to participants that are assessed in SFY22 (through June 30, 2022).
Assessment Cycle Length
All programs assessed in SFY22 will be set at a 24-26 month assessment cycle length, regardless of star rating. This means a program will have 24-26 months to work on quality improvement activities before they are due for the next assessment.
Ready Now? Submit a Request for Early Assessment
If you are ready for assessment now, you do not need to wait for assessment to contact you. You have the opportunity to submit a Request for Early Assessment. This is a way for you to tell the assessment team that you’d like to be moved to the top of the list to be placed into an assessment window.
We will accept as many requests as possible, but depending on the volume received, we cannot guarantee that all requests will be accommodated. The earlier you send your request, the more likely you’ll be assigned for assessment this fiscal year.
You can find the Request for Early Assessment form on the Quality First extranet’s resources section, under “Quality First Forms.”
Want to learn more?
On August 24, Quality First hosted an information session about these updates and what to expect during the assessment process. If you were unable to join us live, please check out the recorded webinar “Quality First: What’s New?”
You may access the webinar via either of the following platforms:
- On the Extranet’s Quality First Dashboard, under “Quality First Resource Links”
- In the Registry, by selecting “Find Training Event” and searching for course “Quality First: What’s New?”
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