The Love Connection

What is Quality Child Care? Who Decides?

May 6, 2022

Discover the complexities of defining quality child care and who gets to decide. The conversation addresses the challenges faced by underserved providers and the impact on families. It critiques existing assessment frameworks and advocates for more inclusive approaches. Learn about biases affecting women from marginalized communities in child care systems. Hear about evolving support initiatives aimed at improving working conditions and enhancing quality care for all children.

18:36

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Quick takeaways

Quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) have faced criticism for not adequately representing diverse childcare providers from underserved communities.

Recent advocacy efforts are empowering childcare providers to influence legislation and redefine what quality child care truly means.

Deep dives

Inequities in Quality Childcare Assessment

Quality Counts California (QCC) has faced criticism for its lack of consideration for diverse childcare providers, particularly those from underserved communities. Many providers do not understand the evaluation criteria until an assessor arrives at their home, leading to feelings of failure rather than support. This lack of preparation and clarity can be disheartening, as providers may interpret unsatisfactory ratings as a reflection of their abilities with children. Advocates argue that the assessment system has roots in biases that do not adequately represent the experiences or needs of providers, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.

Intro

3min

Navigating Quality Evaluation and Advocacy for Childcare Providers

3min

Examining Bias in Child Care Quality Assessment

3min

Addressing Biases in Child Care Quality Systems

4min

Evolving Support Systems in Early Childhood Education

5min

Who gets to decide what quality child care looks like, and how to quantify it? Over 30 years ago, in order to “assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings,” quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) were developed across the United States to increase the likelihood that child care subsidies would support high quality care for young children. These systems were built in response to the notion that most child care in the U.S. is low quality, and “children from low income families and minority families are more likely to be in low quality care.”

In this episode, you'll hear from Keisha Nzewi, Director of Public Policy at the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, and Miren Algorri, a family child care provider about their perspectives on California's quality rating and improvement system.

Hosted by Salaine McCullough. Engineering by Maximo Planes. Produced by Gretchen Howard. Interviews by Paola Marizán. Music by Chad Crouch. Inspired by research by Keisha Nzewi.

This series is made by the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, and made possible by support from First 5 LA. You can follow the Network on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube at CARRNetwork to stay up-to-date on child care news in California. If you would like to learn more about the research that went into The Love Connection and read the full report, visit https://rrnetwork.org/policy/the-love-connection.

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The Love Connection

What is Quality Child Care? Who Decides?

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Inequities in Quality Childcare Assessment

The Push for Inclusive Advocacy

A Shift Towards Supportive Practices

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts