In 2007, Governor Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature called for a voluntary Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for Washington to improve the quality of child care and give parents access to more information about quality early learning.
The QRIS will be a voluntary statewide system that provides incentives and resources for child care providers to improve the quality of their programs, while offering parents valuable information about child care programs available in their community. The ultimate goal is to help ensure all children are safe, healthy, nurtured, learning and having fun in child care as they prepare for kindergarten.
DEL will build one statewide rating system for Washington based on input from parents, child care providers and communities about what kind of system they want and how best to deliver information about quality opportunities for their children.
Some common questions and answers about the QRIS pilot project.
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The legislature earmarked $4.75 million in the 2007-2009 state operating budget for DEL to oversee the design and implementation of pilot QRIS programs.
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During the QRIS Design Phase, pilot sites will gather information at the community and parent levels.
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Several communities around the state submitted proposals to the Department of Early Learning to participate in pilot design and implementation.
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Improving early learning environments requires a true partnership.
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