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 countywide and is administered by First 5 San Joaquin for Improve and Maximize Programs so all Children Thrive (IMPACT) Legacy and by the San Joaquin County Office of Education for the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) QRIS Block Grant, Quality Counts California Block Grant, and the Quality Counts California Workforce Pathways Grant. Since 2016, more than 200 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 care programs countywide by ensuring they are informed of the QRIS and assisted in progressing along the California QRIS Quality Continuum Framework. The Quality Continuum Framework has five levels and measures several elements of program quality, including the following:

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

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

• Improve and Maximize Programs so all Children Thrive (IMPACT 2020)
• California State Preschool Program (CSPP)
• QRIS Block Grant
• Quality Counts California Block Grant
• Quality Counts California Workforce Pathways Grant

• 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,  family child care homes (FCCs), and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers. Specific outreach and networking strategies include participation at monthly Council for Quality Education and Care of Children (CQECC) meetings where Raising Quality! has time allotted each month for sharing resources, planning quality improvement activities, and building partnerships with a variety of agencies and provider types; a monthly newsletter emailed to interested parties; and participation in bimonthly meetings for local Early Learning and Care Division contractors, which are facilitated by CQECC in partnership with community-based organizations and focused on outreach and engagement of specific underserved populations. 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), newsletters 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. Outreach for FCC and FFN providers include partnership with community-based organizations that are seen as trusted messengers by those communities. The QRIS is also represented at meetings that CCTR and CFCC providers attend, including CQECC, Home Visiting Coalition, Children’s Services Coordinating Commission, Early Intervention Services Committee, and San Joaquin Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) contractor meetings. San Joaquin County Office of Education QRIS staff have also conducted outreach through FCC provider socialization events.

To increase the quality of early learning programs, the Raising Quality! Consortium engages in training, technical assistance, coaching, professional growth advising, 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 is 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 all providers (Center-based, FCC, and FFN) by offering trainings that emphasize best practices. The Consortium has developed an annual cycle of trainings based on the Core Tools and Resources document. 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, California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF), Preschool English Learner Guide, California Teaching Pyramid/Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL), Program for Infant/Toddler Care, Trauma Informed and Resilience Building, and Strengthening Families–Five Protective Factors Framework. In addition, center-based and FCC providers may have an opportunity to participate in the LENA program, which supports early language development by helping educators track and enhance the quantity and quality of spoken interactions with young children. The Raising Quality! Consortium staff works with program staff and FCC and FFN providers to develop and implement a personalized Quality Improvement Plan to address individual areas of need and identify support strategies. Participants are able to initiate quality improvement efforts at multiple points of entry based on the elements of quality improvement, with focus on high quality adult/child interactions. A variety of resources, supports, and incentives are offered at each entry point. Cohorts of FCC providers form a community of learners who receive resources, training, 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 may be eligible to receive a stipend. FCC providers who participate in coaching based on the Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care through a self-paced series of modules using Coaching Companion are eligible to receive a stipend. Through work with community-based organizations, FFN providers are eligible for supplies and materials that support achievement of their quality improvement plans.

Learn more from the video below.

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