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.

San Joaquin County’s voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), Raising Quality!, serves programs county-wide and is administered by First 5 San Joaquin for Improve and Maximize Programs so all Children Thrive (IMPACT) and by the San Joaquin County Office of Education for the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) Block Grant, Infant/Toddler (I/T) Block Grant, and the California Migrant (CMIG) Block Grant.

Since 2016, more than 125 QRIS/Quality Improvement System (QIS) sites have been rated and/or received support to improve quality. The San Joaquin County Raising Quality! Consortium supports continuous quality improvement of early learning and development programs county-wide by ensuring they are informed of the QRIS and assisted in progressing along the CA-QRIS Quality Continuum Framework.

The Quality Continuum Framework has five levels and measures several elements of program quality including:

1. Child Development and School Readiness
2. Teachers and Teaching
3. Program and Environment

Programs participating in Raising Quality! may be eligible to receive scholarship awards, monetary quality improvement awards, block grant awards, resources, coaching, and access to trainings and workshops.

• IMPACT
• CSPP Block Grant
• Infant/Toddler Block Grant
• CMIG

• Family Resource & Referral Center
• San Joaquin Delta College
• Council for Quality Education & Care for Children (Local Child Care Planning Council)

Raising Quality! benefits from a diverse network of partners and stakeholders who have worked together since the implementation of the Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge. The Raising Quality! Consortium engages in ongoing outreach to and recruitment of additional partners, particularly private centers and family child care homes. Specific outreach and networking strategies include a written Raising Quality! update provided at monthly Council for Quality Education and Care of Children (CQECC) meetings; a monthly newsletter emailed to interested parties; and participation in bi-monthly meetings facilitated by CQECC for local Early Learning and Care Division contractors. Raising Quality! partners act as QRIS ambassadors, educating the public about the importance of quality in early education and care. As ambassadors, consortium members are responsible for keeping quality early learning a core focus of all discussions and integral to any planning or community-building activities throughout the county. Specific outreach strategies targeting programs include a website, social media (Facebook), monthly newsletter, yard signs for participating providers, and word of mouth. Outreach and recruitment efforts targeting CCTR and CFCC providers include informational and individual program meetings, telephone conversations, email correspondence, and word of mouth in collaboration with partner agencies, such as the Family Resource and Referral Center. The QRIS is also represented at meetings that CCTR and CFCC providers attend including CQECC, Raising Quality! Task Force, Early Educator Growth and Development System (EEGADS), and San Joaquin Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) contractor meetings. San Joaquin County Office of Education QRIS staff have also conducted outreach through family child care provider socialization events.

To increase the quality of early learning programs, the Raising Quality! Consortium engages in training, technical assistance, coaching, professional growth advising (Early Educators’ Growth and Development System, EEGADS), conducting of assessments and rating visits, and sharing of information and resources within the early learning community. Regular communication and collaboration among lead agencies, partners, and stakeholders promotes effective professional development opportunities and shared understanding of quality of early education and care. In addition, the Continuous Quality Improvement Pathways/Goals link to the Quality Continuum Framework that are incorporated into coaching, technical assistance, and other quality improvement activities.

The formation of cohort groups has helped establish long-term relationships between participating early childhood education programs that support ongoing quality. The Raising Quality! Consortium engages providers by offering trainings that emphasize best practices and has developed an annual cycle of trainings based on the Core Tools and Resources document. An internal county-wide training calendar was created to minimize duplication and double-booking. Lead agency staff collaborate with the California Preschool Instructional Network and WestEd to provide local trainings at least once each year on DRDP-2015, DRDP-Meaningful Observations, ASQ and ASQ-3, Environment Rating Scales, Classroom Assessment Scoring System, Preschool Learning Foundations and Frameworks, Preschool English Learner Guide, California Teaching Pyramid, Program for Infant/Toddler Care, and Strengthening Families–Five Protective Factors Framework. In addition, family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers have an opportunity to participate in a series of trainings using the Growing, Learning, and Caring curriculum, which focuses on the role of the caring provider as well as safe and healthy practices.

The Raising Quality! Consortium staff works with program staff and family child care providers to develop and implement a personalized Quality Improvement Plan to address individual areas of need and identify support strategies. Family child care providers are able to initiate quality improvement efforts at multiple points of entry based on the elements of the Rating Matrix. A variety of resources, supports, and incentives are offered at each entry point. Cohorts of family child care providers form a community of learners that receive resources, trainings, coaching, and technical assistance from Raising Quality! Consortium staff.

The Raising Quality! Consortium offers a variety of incentives and support mechanisms. In addition to the yearly cycle of core resources and tools trainings, there are opportunities for cohorts of early educators to participate in California Teaching Pyramid module training and coaching to improve their knowledge of and skill in serving children with challenging behaviors and other high needs. Those who complete the module trainings gain valuable professional knowledge and are eligible to receive a stipend. Through IMPACT funding, scholarships are available to providers who are investing in their professional growth by working toward their degree. In addition, the Raising Quality! Consortium collaborates with partnering programs to promote and encourage participation in the San Joaquin County Early Education Stipend Program/AB 212, and Stockton Scholars and First 5 San Joaquin Early Care and Education Scholarships.

Learn more from the video below.

https://vimeo.com/325269317/0e45451874