cpscales3

EDU 262 ECERS Assignment

This assignment provides a learning opportunity to overview four Environment Rating Scales: ECERS

(Early Childhood), ITERS (Infant Toddler), FCCERS (Family Child Care), SACERS (School

-

Age Care) and to

understand

the

quality of early learning environment and early care programs.

T

he scales are used in

monitoring programs, evaluating programs to reward those with higher quality, evaluating the quality of

programs to inform consumers/parents, and especially guiding pract

itioners towards creating higher

quality programs for the children they serve.

T

hey are viewed as a “roadmap” to quality improvement.

The North Carolina Rated Licensing

System

asses

se

s early care programs using ERS's for the voluntary

Star rates to reflect

the quality of the program

.

(Environment Rating Scales Institute)

North Carolina has the “Rated License” system under which facilities are awarded one to five stars, with

five being the highest quality. Scores are based on points earned in three areas: St

aff Education,

Program Environment (using the Environment Rating Scales© as the basis)

,

and a Quality Point. Child

care programs may also voluntarily seek accreditation from national professional associations.

(

https

://www.ncrlap.org/

NC Rated License Assessment Project

)

Scores on the ERS significantly impact the number of points a program can receive in the program

standards component of the Star Rated License assessment. To earn three to seven points, programs

must

score between 4.0 and 5.0 for each group assessed. Programs can achieve higher scores on the ERS

through preparation and practice. To prepare for the Rated License Assessment go to the

North

Carolina

Rated

License

Ass

essment

Project

web page. The NCRLAP website will provide answers to

common questions about the scales including “How should I prepare for the visit?” and “What should I

expect the day of the assessment?”. Some programs choose to practice for the assess

ment by

conducting a mock assessment to discover areas of strength and areas of needed improvement.

Assignment Guideline

Visit the Environment Rating Scales

Institute’s

website.

https://www.ersi.info/index.html

Choose one age group

except

afterschool

that you are most interested in

then,

study 3rd and R editions

of the age group's ERS and the sections of

Overview of the Subscales and Items

and

Additional Notes

e

.g., ECERS

-

3 and EC

ERS

-

R for Early Childhood, or ITERS

-

3 and ITERS

-

R for infant/Toddler, etc.

You may

find

it

helpful

to have

the actual copy of the ERS book

.

If you are currently working at

a

child care

center, a

sk your center if they have a copy

to

borrow. Most of the licensed centers should have them.

Once you have studied the rating scales, build

and complete the provided

ERS Assessment Preparation

t

ool that

you will use

as an administrator to assure your center

’s

high

rates

with the scale. Your

checklist

should have a minimum of

15

items with

monitoring activities

across

all subscales.

See attached form.

ERS Assessment Preparation Tool

EDU 262 ECERS Assignment

This assignment provides a learning opportunity to overview four Environment Rating Scales: ECERS

(Early Childhood), ITERS (Infant Toddler), FCCERS (Family Child Care), SACERS (School-Age Care) and to

understand the quality of early learning environment and early care programs. The scales are used in

monitoring programs, evaluating programs to reward those with higher quality, evaluating the quality of

programs to inform consumers/parents, and especially guiding practitioners towards creating higher

quality programs for the children they serve. They are viewed as a “roadmap” to quality improvement.

The North Carolina Rated Licensing System assesses early care programs using ERS's for the voluntary

Star rates to reflect the quality of the program. (Environment Rating Scales Institute)

North Carolina has the “Rated License” system under which facilities are awarded one to five stars, with

five being the highest quality. Scores are based on points earned in three areas: Staff Education,

Program Environment (using the Environment Rating Scales© as the basis), and a Quality Point. Child

care programs may also voluntarily seek accreditation from national professional associations.

(https://www.ncrlap.org/ NC Rated License Assessment Project)

Scores on the ERS significantly impact the number of points a program can receive in the program

standards component of the Star Rated License assessment. To earn three to seven points, programs

must score between 4.0 and 5.0 for each group assessed. Programs can achieve higher scores on the ERS

through preparation and practice. To prepare for the Rated License Assessment go to the North

Carolina Rated License Assessment Project web page. The NCRLAP website will provide answers to

common questions about the scales including “How should I prepare for the visit?” and “What should I

expect the day of the assessment?”. Some programs choose to practice for the assessment by

conducting a mock assessment to discover areas of strength and areas of needed improvement.

Assignment Guideline

Visit the Environment Rating Scales Institute’s website. https://www.ersi.info/index.html

Choose one age group except afterschool that you are most interested in then, study 3rd and R editions

of the age group's ERS and the sections of Overview of the Subscales and Items and Additional Notes

e.g., ECERS-3 and ECERS-R for Early Childhood, or ITERS-3 and ITERS-R for infant/Toddler, etc. You may

find it helpful to have the actual copy of the ERS book. If you are currently working at a child care

center, ask your center if they have a copy to borrow. Most of the licensed centers should have them.

Once you have studied the rating scales, build and complete the provided ERS Assessment Preparation

tool that you will use as an administrator to assure your center’s high rates with the scale. Your checklist

should have a minimum of 15 items with monitoring activities across all subscales. See attached form.

ERS Assessment Preparation Tool