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.

Quality Counts California (QCC) is the statewide quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) that supports local and regional agencies in raising the quality of early learning and care. QRIS provides early care and education settings a consistent method to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality they provide and gives parents and families information on what different quality levels mean for the child. QCC is a framework of data-driven, research-based components that improve early care and education site quality and strengthens early care educators to set and practice standards of excellence in their care for children.

QCC in Nevada County supports all licensed family child care, center-based and alternative sites serving children birth through age five enhance the quality of early learning and care programs they provide and inform parents and families on what different quality levels mean for the child. QCC is designed to support and recognize child care programs for implementing research-based practices to provide high-quality environments and experiences for our community’s children.

By joining QCC, you will make lasting improvements in the quality of care and education you provide the children in your program while being part of the process of systemic change for the field of early childhood education programs. To do this, QCC uses three primary mechanisms to help programs improve and sustain high-quality care:

Technical Assistance and Specialized Training: Participating sites are matched with a QCC Coach, peer mentor, and consultants who provide customized technical assistance with the QRIS assessment and rating processes. Sites are also connected with quality improvement activities, such as training and program enhancements.

Professional Development and Quality Award Stipends: Professional development stipends encourage education and recognize teachers’ achievements. Quality award stipends recognize sites’ efforts in striving for and achieving higher levels of quality.

Quality Care Assessment and Tools: To encourage self-reflection and to inform quality improvement efforts, participating sites receive a free quality care assessment of every eligible classroom, completed by a certified independent observer, including Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) and Classroom Learning Assessment and Scoring System (CLASS).

• First 5 CA
• ELCD
• First 5 Nevada
• Packard Foundation
• Nevada County Head Start
• Title 1

• First 5 Nevada – advocacy, leadership on data and evaluation
• Nevada Resource and Referral Agency & LPC – implement day to day QRIS with participants, partner to implement QRIS
• Sierra Joint Community College – higher education resources
• Nevada Head Start/Early Head Start – advises based on direct services to children and families, partners in training
• Grass Valley Unified School District – advises based on direct QRIS services to children & families, models high quality
• Nevada County Office of Education – Nevada county leadership and coordination
• Grass Valley Unified School District – advises based on direct QRIS services to children & families, models high quality
• Nevada County Office of Education – Nevada county leadership and coordination

Program outreach is conducted through various methods that include the following: personal phone calls, emails, staff presentations, site visits, website, and newsletters. Outreach is an ongoing process, and we strive to serve all sites who want to participate and engage in quality improvement efforts.

Support strategies are relationship based through coaching, professional development offerings, site visits, and ongoing staff support and individual follow-up.

Stipends and materials are provided upon completion of specific elements within the Rating Matrix and upon tier rating.

The QCC program has enabled participants to receive their AA degrees in Early Childhood Education and even go on to pursue BAs and Master degrees in the field. One participant shared: “As a full time working mom of two school aged girls this QCC program has helped me immensely. I have grown so much as a professional by taking the training opportunities offered!”