The QCC County Program Profile provides county data from the Common Data File (CDF) and the Annual Progress Report (APR). For counties that are a part of a consortium, the QCC County Program Profile provides a combined view of the CDF and APR. Both qualitative and quantitative data are presented to provide a local view of early learning and care climate.

Alameda County’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), Quality Counts, seeks to be a single point of entry for early care and education programs seeking support to improve quality. Quality Counts aspires to integrate a variety of quality improvement programs and funding streams into a seamless quality support system for the full range of licensed early childhood education programs, family child care (FCC), centers receiving state subsidy, school districts, Early Head Start and Head Start, and private programs. Quality Counts also provides quality support to family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers through play and learn playgroups at each of the three Resource & Referral agencies (R&Rs). All state preschools, Early Head Start programs, and Head Start programs are participating.

Participants in Quality Counts represent the local mixed-delivery system of care, including Title 22 and California State Preschool Program (CSPP) centers, FCCs, FFN caregivers, and libraries.

In fiscal year 2023-24, there were 356 Quality Counts participants which included:

• 176 Centers
• 96 FCCs
• 66 FFN providers
• 18 Libraries

Participating sites may utilize a robust menu of quality improvement supports driven by individualized Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs). These supports range from site-based coaching to playgroups, developmental screening support; curriculum implementation; professional development such as California Teaching Pyramid; CLASS; equity, and anti-bias in ECE; and multilingual learners.

Participating sites receive quality improvement incentives to support implementation of QIP strategies and action steps to achieve their goals.

• CSPP Block Grant
• First 5 California IMPACT
• Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program (IEEEP 2.0)
• Local First 5
• Quality Counts California Quality Improvement Grant
• Quality Counts California Workforce Pathways Grant

• 4Cs of Alameda County
• Alameda County Office of Education
• Alameda County Early Care and Education Program
• BANANAS, Inc.
• California School Age Consortium
• Hively
• First 5 Alameda County

We utilize child care voucher data and other neighborhood statistics to help identify providers who serve a high proportion of high-need children and who are ready to take on the activities required by the QRIS. We have not had sufficient funding to do a great deal of outreach, so we have focused on including programs that are required to be part of QRIS and sites that are underrepresented in Quality Counts, such as FCCs. We provide a comprehensive orientation to the program or site and assign them a coach to support the process. Participating programs and providers sign an MOU and provide liability insurance.

Coaches are housed at First 5 Alameda County and the three local R&Rs. Coaching is tailored to each program through both specialty coaches, who provide coaching on specific topics such as developmental screening practices, and general coaches, who focus on supporting the QIP. We train and supervise all coaches throughout the agencies and hold monthly meetings to support additional training, integration, and problem solving. We run a county-wide Professional Development Workgroup that includes representatives from all training agencies. Together they identify training needs based on QIPs and results from a biennial professional development survey to develop a yearly training calendar that is responsive to topics of interest, geographical variety, and language needs across our diverse county. We are committed to offering a variety of learning opportunities, including traditional workshops, learning communities, as well as playgroups for FFN caregivers and peer support groups for FCC providers and training-of-trainer experiences that increase our internal capacity and reach. We also partner with local libraries to enhance story time events with take home activity kits.

Our consortium believes strongly in providing incentives and stipends to both sites and educators, as participation in Quality Counts can be time consuming and requires considerable investment from teachers and administrators alike.

Through the QCC Workforce Pathways Grant and local funds, we offer tiered stipends to educators, including FCC providers and FFN caregivers, who complete various professional development hours or achieve higher education milestones.

Grant funds will be allocated to CSPP center-based programs and local education agencies based on the number of CSPP children enrolled, the specific needs identified in their QIPs, and their progress in meeting quality benchmarks. These funds will support program improvements, professional development for staff, and access to resources that help maintain high program quality while ensuring equity in service delivery.

Quality Improvement grants are also available for non-CSPP sites participating in continuous quality improvement efforts to support them in reaching their QIP goals.

[It’s] wonderful to know that someone has your back; I feel like QC is my partner, gives me the tools to be a good provider and to support the quality of my program – I have the heart and the love, QC gave me the tools, materials, resources; Coaching supports with how to enhance the environment; support from QC staff is so responsive, I think of times I’ve called and if they don’t have an answer, they find the answer and call back.