What is a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)?

A QRIS is a system for assessing, improving, and communicating the level of quality in early childhood education and care settings. The QRIS assigns quality ratings to child care providers based on a number of factors, including: 

• Teacher/student ratios
• Interactions 
• Professional qualifications and training,  
• Child participation,  
• Health promotion and developmental screening, 
• Classroom planning 
• Continuous quality improvement 

A QRIS helps strengthen early education and care programs, provides a roadmap for quality improvement, and helps families identify which programs will best meet their needs. Most states revise their QRIS every 3 to 5 years. The last revision for New Mexico was in May 2015. 

What prompted the                          FOCUS Redesign?  

In the spring of 2021, ECECD leadership toured the state, traveling to 20 communities and meeting with early childhood educators, child care providers, home visiting professionals, parents, elected officials, and other community members. During the tour, child care providers shared their experiences with Young Children’s Learning (FOCUS). Out of these conversations, ECECD identified several opportunities for making FOCUS more equitable and less burdensome for participating providers.  

 Read the Spring Tour 2020 report here.  

How is ECECD collecting feedback? 

To ensure ECECD is making the most impactful changes as part of this redesign, ECECD is requesting feedback from the community to ensure our quality system reflects the needs of New Mexico’s children, families, and providers. ECECD is also engaging with national experts to understand best practices across the country and lessons learned from other states. 

ECECD is committed to raising the bar to improve outcomes for children and families, which is why redesigning FOCUS is a key part of ECECD’s 2022-2027 strategic plan.