Frequently Asked Questions

Quality Start is designed to draw attention to quality child care. Many child care providers work very hard to provide high quality care for their children and this system acknowledges this quality to the general public and the parents seeking care for their children. Quality Start also puts in place supports designed to help providers build, sustain and/or improve quality across all levels of child care quality.

There is no direct cost of participating in Quality Start. However, in preparation for the rating system, a center may incur some cost in making improvements and upgrading their quality. Centers will continue to be free to set their rates as they decide.

Generally, a teacher with a CDA and 1 year of experience will be eligible for $1500 per year. A teacher with a CDA, 2 years of experience, and 9 CEUs or 2 early childhood college courses, is eligible for $2000 per year. Please note, to take advantage of the tax credits other requirements will apply, such as enrollment with LA Pathways, working for at least six months at the same center that is participating in Quality Start, and membership in an early childhood professional organization. 

Click here to see answers to a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Click here to see the Rule that defines the teacher and director education levels in Louisiana Pathways.
To see and download a flyer, click here.

Random Selection Procedure

• One-third (1/3) of classrooms in each facility will be assessed. For example, if there are 10 classrooms, 4 will be assessed. A table has been provided below to illustrate the number of classrooms to be assessed.

      o The ERS Anchor will verify the total number of classrooms by age group with
         the Director when observation is scheduled.
      o At least one infant-toddler (birth-30 months; ITERS-R) and one early childhood
         (31 months-5 years; ECERS-R) classroom will be assessed in each center. If a
         particular age group is not served by the provider, the corresponding scale will
         not be administered.

• For mixed age groups, the following rules apply:
      o If there are more ECERS-aged children than ITERS-aged children, the ECERS-R
         will be used to assess the classroom.
      o If there are more ITERS-aged children than ECERS-aged children, the ITERS-R
        will be used.
      o If a classroom has exactly the same number of ITERS-aged children and ECERS-         aged children, the ITERS-R will be used to assess the classroom.

• The classroom to be assessed will be chosen using a standardized random selection procedure. The Director must prepare a roster for each classroom in the center which includes the following information:
      o Teacher name
      o Room name, if applicable
      o List of children’s first names
      o Birthdates of children

• Rosters are reviewed and each is assigned a number by the assessor. The assessor will provide a numbered card for each classroom in the center. The cards will be placed into an envelope. The Director will choose one number from the envelope. This is the classroom that will be assessed that day. This process will be witnessed by a teacher or staff member of the child care center.

• Only one classroom is selected each morning. The random selection procedure described above will be repeated each subsequent day as needed, excluding only classrooms that have already been assessed. In larger centers, multiple assessors may be assigned to complete observations on the same day. If this is the case, each assessor will use the random selection procedure to select classrooms to be assessed individually.

• The assessor is scheduled to arrive by 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the observation.

Unusual Circumstances

• Assessments may be rescheduled or discontinued at the discretion of the assessor if any of any of the following occur:
      o Expected low enrollment (50% or less) – more than half of the children
         enrolled must be present for much of the observation
      o Lead teacher absent (either scheduled or unscheduled)
      o New lead or co-teacher (employed less than 2 weeks)
      o Power failure, severe weather, broken pipes
      o Field trip or resource event
      o Emergency or illness causing lead teacher to leave



Determining Number of Classrooms to be Assessed

Total # of Classrooms                   # of Classrooms assessed
    2                                             2
    3                                             2
    4                                             2 
    5                                             2
    6                                             2
    7                                             3
    8                                             3
    9                                             3
  10                                             4
  11                                             4
  12                                             4
  13                                             5
  14                                             5
  15                                             5
  16                                             6
  17                                             6
  18                                             6
  19                                             7
  20                                             7
  21                                             7
  22                                             8
  23                                             8 
  24                                             8
  25                                             9
  26                                             9
  27                                             9
  28                                           10
  29                                           10
  30                                           10

Conducting the ITERS or ECERS Assessment

• The assessor will conduct a 3-4 hour assessment according to standardized observation procedures. The assessor will need to conduct an interview lasting approximately 30 minutes with the classroom teacher in order to finalize the observation. The Director should make arrangements in advance for a substitute to cover the classroom while the teacher interview takes place.

• If the assessment is a reliability check, the assessor will be accompanied by a second assessor to observe simultaneously with the primary assessor. Consensus scores will be used from the observations conducted during the reliability check for writing summary reports. Please note, that the assessors must conduct reliability checks at regular intervals with their supervisors. These reliability checks are to ensure the accuracy of the assessment and are no reflection of the quality of the center being assessed.

• Assessors will not provide summary reports or give any feedback to providers at the time of the assessment. Reports will be sent to the appropriate Resource and Referral Agency and to the Child Care Quality Specialist (within 14 calendar days from the date of the assessment) in order to determine star ratings.

• Environment rating scale assessors are contractors of the Department of Social Services, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. Assessors must therefore report to the Child Care Regulatory Unit any practices that violate licensing regulations. Any suspected abuse or neglect observed by the assessor must be reported to the Office of Community services as mandated by law. 

Environment Rating Scales
Random Selection of Classrooms for Practice ITERS or ECERS Observations

Effective Monday, March 17, 2008, child care providers who elect to schedule practice Environment Rating Scale assessments will have the classroom to be assessed randomly selected on the morning of the visit using the standardized procedure described below:

• The Director must prepare a roster for each classroom in the center which includes the following information:
o Teacher name
o Room name, if applicable
o List of children’s first names
o Birthdates of children

• Rosters are reviewed and each is assigned a number by the assessor. The assessor will provide a numbered card for each classroom in the center. The cards will be placed into an envelope. The Director will choose one number from the envelope. This is the classroom that will be assessed that day.

• This process will be witnessed by a teacher or staff member of the child care center.

Providers may opt to retain scores on the practice observations as the official score for the classroom assessed. If/when the center applies for formal ERS assessment to earn two or more stars, this classroom will not need to be reassessed and the score earned will be used to determine the overall center score. The following conditions apply:

• Scores are good for a period of six (6) months from the date of the assessment to allow time for the Child Care Quality Specialist to schedule and conduct the verification visit for a 2 star rating. If the verification process has not been completed before the end of the six month period, another assessment must be completed in order to determine the star rating.

• The teacher of the classroom assessed must be currently employed in the center and provide care to children in the same age group. For example, a teacher who was observed for an ITERS-R assessment must still be regularly assigned to work with infants and/or toddlers. If the teacher is working with a different age group (in this example, children older than 2 ½ years), a new assessment must be conducted.

• If the provider chooses to retain all previous classroom assessments to use in determining star rating, at least one additional classroom observation, chosen by random selection, must be conducted.

The Department of Education has posted an application on their Web site at http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/saa/1874.html. Scroll down until you see the link to LA 4 Application for Non-school Providers. We have also made the application available by clicking here. For questions, call Ivy Starns or Mary Louise Jones at the Department of Education at (225) 342-3366.