Watch or Rewatch the QRIS Webinar

In late September, AMS hosted a webinar on QRIS, the quality rating and improvement systems that most states are either developing or already have in place to evaluate the quality of early education programs. There is concern that QRIS could negatively impact the Montessori community.

That webinar is now available on the AMS YouTube channel. The title is “Help Protect Montessori Early Childhood Education Quality.”

Because not all of you can access YouTube, AMS will also be adding the Webinar recording to its Vimeo page. (More information coming soon.)

And note, in January AMS will be hosting another QRIS webinar, with updated information. We’ll keep you posted.

 

A Victory in Minnesota!

AMS and AMI have recently gained approval from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to qualify for a 15% rate differential for Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program. This is a great success for both organizations!

Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps to make quality child care affordable for income-eligible families. CCAP can help families pay child care costs for children to age 12, and for children with special needs to age 14. Child care costs may be paid for qualifying families while they go to work, look for work or attend school.

Beginning in February 2014, child care centers and school-age programs accredited by AMS or recognized by AMI will be reimbursed up to 15 percent higher than standard Child Care Assistance Program rates.

AMS and AMI join an illustrious group of approved agencies that includes:

•           Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Accreditation
• Council on Accreditation (COA) – Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program Accreditation
• National Accreditation Commission (NAC) for Early Care and Education Programs Accreditation
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation
• National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission Inc. (NECPA) Accreditation
• The NHSA Quality Initiative: Head Start Performance Excellence and Quality Recognition Program, offered by the National Head Start Association (NHSA)

Working Together

As we continue our work to move Montessori Forward, we increasingly realize the importance and need for collaboration, cooperation and communication within the Montessori community. We all have the same goal. We know the benefits of a high quality Montessori education for children and their families and we know the importance of sharing what we do so well. Working together, we can be a part of the national conversation on early childhood education.

In her most recent book, Early Childhood Education for a New Era, Stacie Goffin discusses the need for the Early Childhood profession to come together with active leadership and she identifies QRIS as a "Field Unifying Strategy" to explore issues of high quality, teacher qualifications, inclusion of all ECE programs, and common standards. These are exactly the issues we are finding in our Montessori community.

Montessori Forward is an opportunity for opening conversations, for sharing information, for exploring questions, and bringing together our rich and diverse Montessori community. We have added some features recently which we hope will contribute to this goal.

You may now sign up to receive notification of new blog posts. Scroll to the bottom of the Blog page and provide your information so that you will be notified of each post. Add your comments, start a conversation, share your thoughts.

We have also added a List Serve to the website. Just click on List Serve and join our group. This is a perfect place for asking questions, sharing new information and working with others in our community who are advocating for high quality Montessori education in their state.

Collaboration is not easy. So many of  us are used to working in our "silos." But now is the time for us to reach out, to be willing to have conversations with others and to remember that we share a common goal. Let's share that commitment with one voice for Montessori.

What You Need to Know About QRIS in Your State

Over the past few weeks, many of you have asked what you can do to support high quality Montessori education in your state. Your state organizations and coalitions for advocacy are coming together and you are ready for the work ahead. Congratulations! Your efforts so far are proof of your strength in giving one voice to Montessori.

Action must be based on a clear understanding and real information of the problem. Your first action item, therefore, is to learn more about QRIS in your state. On this site, you can go to What Is QRIS and look for the Questions to Ask article. We hope this will be a starting point for you.

There is a good bit of information available about QRIS but it is not always accurate. In states which currently have Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grants, the time line has begun and decisions about QRIS components and meeting the requirements are being made now. (These states include CA, DE, MD, MA, MN, NC, OH, RI, WA, CO, IL, NM, OR, and WI). To find the most up to date information, look to your state Office of Early Learning and Development, Department of Human Services or Children and Families, or just search for QRIS in your state. Use the questions on the What Is QRIS page as a guideline. We have provided an example of a Power Point presentation for CO with their draft proposal for TQRIS- Second Generation.

As referred to in a previous post, 16 states have now applied for RTT-ELC awards. The US Department of Education will be making the next round of grants at the end of December. For those of you in these states ( AZ, AR,CT,DC, GA, IN, IA,KY, MI, MS, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NY, PA, and VT) now is a perfect time to gather your information and strengthen your state group. Even though most states currently have a QRIS in place, with the award of RTT ELC grants, the states must re-assess, revise, and revamp their current system. This means that much can, and likely will, change in your state. One of the best sources of information for you will be the US Department of Education website. Search for RTT-ELC applications and find your state's application. This lengthy but informative document will give you a great deal of information about the proposed plans for using this money in your state. You can also go to your state's Office of Early Learning and Development.
We have provided an example of a Power Point presentation from TX which has a very different time line from states accepting federal funds.

Find out about meetings being held by your state QRIS and go to gather first hand information. Introduce yourself to the presenters. Make sure that you are on the necessary mailing lists. And share this information with everyone in your group.

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing information gathering techniques you are using in your states. And hope that you will share some of what you are finding out with others. For those of you who have already been in touch to share your efforts, thank you. This is your site to connect, learn from one another, and continue to share your questions, challenges, and successes. Use the Contact Us link to post a blog of your own.

Let's move Montessori Forward