Paths to QUALITY™ is Indiana’s statewide rating system for early care and education programs. It is a free resource to help education providers improve the quality of their programs.
Research shows that high quality early childhood programs prepare children for future success in school, work and life. From birth through age 5 is the most important time for growth of the human brain. A child’s brain develops in response to the child’s experiences by building neurological networks in reaction to the environment.
A child’s experiences in a child care program can significantly contribute to that brain development and the future success of the child. High quality child care programs are essential, not only to Hoosier children, but also to their families and to the communities in which they live. Parents need stable, high quality care in order to be productive at work. They count on their child care provider to ensure that their child is safe, healthy and learning during those hours they must be at work. Our school systems need children who are entering school prepared and ready to succeed. Businesses need a high quality work force both now and in the future. In fact, studies have shown that high quality early childhood programs increase the graduation rate, reduce the future crime rate and can save up to sixteen dollars for every one dollar invested. High quality child care programs are essential to everyone.
In order to improve the quality of child care programs, states across the nation are using Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, such as the one here in Indiana, Paths to QUALITY™. Quality Rating and Improvement Systems assess the quality of care within a program, work to improve that quality level, and give families an easy to recognize symbol that makes the difficult decision of choosing child care easier. These systems also provide an accountability measure for funding and create an alignment between licensing, subsidy and quality across child care, Head Start and the Department of Education’s early learning guidelines.
Paths to QUALITY™ gives families an easy to recognize tool for selecting a child care program. Families can look for the Paths to QUALITY™ logo to determine what level their provider has achieved. Each level builds on the foundation of the previous one, resulting in significant quality improvements at each stage and in national accreditation at the highest level. The system validates child care programs for ongoing efforts to achieve higher standards of quality and provides incentives and awards for success. The four levels address:
- Level One: Health and safety needs of children met
- Level Two: Environment supports children’s learning
- Level Three: Planned curriculum guides child development and school readiness
- Level Four: National accreditation (the highest indicator of quality) is achieved
For more information on Paths to QUALITY™, please visit http://www.childcareindiana.org.
Town Square Research to Practice Statements offer information from theory and research with examples and suggestions for what it means in your work with children.
Town Square Research to Practice: Using Technology as a Tool to Support Learning and Development
In this module, family childcare providers will explore the importance creating an environment that promotes mutual kindness and respect and supports children’s capacity to self-regulate and how to respond to behaviors that challenge our skills and abilities.
Town Square Indiana modules can be found in Indiana Learning Paths. Please follow the link below to log into your I-lead account and click on “Start Your Indiana Learning Path”. Once in Indiana Learning Paths please search for:
Town Square – Supporting Social Emotional Development in Infants and Young Children part 2
In this module, family childcare providers will explore the importance of social emotional development in young children and how having a strong connection between a caregiver and a child can facilitate this development.
Town Square Indiana modules can be found in Indiana Learning Paths. Please follow the link below to log into your I-lead account and click on “Start Your Indiana Learning Path”. Once in Indiana Learning Paths please search for:
Town Square – Supporting Social Emotional Development in Infants and Young Children
In this module, explore big ideas of early math and think about how adults can engage preschoolers in the math all around them.
Town Square Indiana modules can be found in Indiana Learning Paths. Please follow the link below to log into your I-lead account and click on “Start Your Indiana Learning Path”. Once in Indiana Learning Paths please search for:
Town Square Exploring Math with Preschoolers
In this module, explore precursor math concepts and find out how adults can build on babies’ innate mathematical thinking so that they are ready to learn about sets and numbers.
Town Square Indiana modules can be found in Indiana Learning Paths. Please follow the link below to log into your I-lead account and click on “Start Your Indiana Learning Path”. Once in Indiana Learning Paths please search for:
Town Square Children are Born Mathematicians
In this module family child care providers will explore the idea of open-ended materials and the ways that children can learn and develop across social and emotional, physical, and cognitive domains through play and exploration. Intentional planning and scaffolding are emphasized as essential in supporting children’s growth and learning through materials. Resources for organizing and planning open-ended materials explorations in a family child care program are provided in the module.
Town Square Indiana modules can be found in Indiana Learning Paths. Please follow the link below to log into your I-lead account and click on “Start Your Indiana Learning Path”. Once in Indiana Learning Paths please search for:
Town Square Materials that support learning across developmental domains in family child care programs
