By Victoria Joslin, Quality Program Manager

While quality assurance in childcare looks a little different from state to state, it has the same overlying purpose no matter where you look: to provide the highest quality of care for the children and families we serve.  Each Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) have the same values at their core that help create positive, safe environments where children can thrive and provide a space for reflection and continuous improvement.

At Early Learning Academies (ELA), we strive to continuously learn to better serve our families and each other. Participating in QRIS is the perfect platform to do just that. ELA holds our centers to our own high standards of excellence while offering support and encouragement for centers to reach a high level of quality through all different state programs and even national accreditation options.

Aligning Core Values with QRIS

Participating in QRIS in our centers supports the core values that drive everything we do at ELA. We have five core values guiding our company journey and employees. Along with our high standards of excellence and our continued dedication to learning and improving, we also choose to emulate kindness and integrity with our words and actions by ensuring all are welcome into our classrooms and onto our teams.

Through quality assurance, we strive to create inclusive environments to help foster learning and growth in our classrooms and centers.  We continually ask for feedback from our employees and families through surveys and use the results to make improvements that will help us better serve the children in our care.

Sharing Our Experience Makes Us Stronger

As a company that spans 11 states and 17 brands, we have the unique opportunity to embrace this idea: we are not a place, but a community. We can use feedback from one center group to improve practices everywhere. We can choose the highest QRIS requirements and implement them across multiple states. The field of early childhood education is constantly growing and changing to meet the needs of the communities we serve. By participating in QRIS, we vow to always strive for the highest standards of practice and always look for ways to learn, improve, and grow to best serve every child and family that walks through our doors.