Quality Improvement System

QIS Coaching and Personnel Enhancement (Family Central) Early Learning Coaches provide intensive technical assistance and coaching to family child care providers participating in the Quality Improvement System (QIS).  The coaches model and elicit changes in the learning environments, activities and interactions.  Program Assessors conduct assessments for those child care programs participating in the QIS using the Environment Rating Scale.  School Readiness Specialists provide technical assistance and training to child care centers and family child care homes interested in becoming accredited in NAEYC, NAFCC or APPLE.

QIS: Quality Program Payments (Family Central) Family Central administers the Quality Enhancement Payments for the Quality Improvement System (QIS). Participants in the QIS are eligible for the payments after they have been reassessed (second assessment), which is within 13 to 15 months from the date a QIS site baseline assessment is conducted.

Mentoring and Training Coordination (Palm Beach Community College) Palm Beach Community College coordinates and makes available education and training opportunities, both formal and informal, in early care and education to all homes, centers and school-based child care providers.  Scholarships are available for those child care sites that accept children supported by subsidies.  Career coaches are available to assist teachers in the QIS with educational needs and career paths in the early care and education field.  A training registry has been developed to track trainers and educational opportunities and to provide a training quality assurance framework.  Mini-grants are provided to support quality improvement.

Certified Teachers (School District of Palm Beach County) Certified teachers from the PBC School District provide intensive technical assistance and coaching to directors and practitioners at child care centers participating in the Quality Improvement System.  Certified teachers model and elicit changes in the learning environments, activities and interactions.

Continue-To-Care Initiative (Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County)
Funding is available for children enrolled in child care programs participating in the Quality Improvement System.  The program is offered to high-risk children whose parents may no longer be eligible for a school readiness subsidy or are referred through Healthy Beginnings services, subject to parental choice and funding availability.

Professional Development (Palm Beach County Education Commission)
This initiative develops and implements a community plan and strategy for an early care and education professional development system.

Early Childhood Cluster Initiative (ECCI)
This program provides preschool services for 3 and 4 year olds based on the High/Scope principles in elementary schools with Beacon Centers.  It integrates community child care centers and family child care homes. CSC, United Way of Palm Beach County, School District of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Community College and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County collaborate in this initiative.

Home Instruction for Preschool Youngsters (The Center for Family Services)
Home Instruction for Preschool Youngsters is a school readiness, home instruction program where parents take an active role as their preschoolers’ primary educators.  The curriculum guides parents to create opportunities for their children to acquire basic skills and knowledge needed for future school success while the experience itself changes the adults’ self-image and attitudes toward education.

Parenting Smart Babies (The Center for Family Services)
An infant and toddler home visiting program that uses the Growing Great Kids curriculum to foster social-emotional development, parent-child bonding and early literacy.

Reach Out and Read, Budding Readers, Care To Read (Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition)
Reach Out and Read allows participating doctors to give children a “prescription” for reading and reading opportunities are made available in the waiting rooms. In Budding Readers, literacy volunteers are trained in emergent literacy strategies to use in teaching reading skills to 3 year olds in preschool. Care to Read provides training for child care staff and distributes books to staff and children to support literacy development. 

Comprehensive Services (Health Care District of Palm Beach County)
Serves families with children ages birth to 5 in child care settings across Palm Beach County.  Health Care District staff includes family development coordinators and nurses.  Services offered include classroom observations and consultations with child care staff, child screening and assessment, referral and linkages to community resources, consultation on behavioral health and physical health issues, and family-focused supportive services targeting children’s school success.

Developmental Enhancement Specialist (The Arc)
Funding supports two trained developmental specialists who provide direct one-on-one intervention for identified children and their families, addressing the specific developmental or behavior concerns of each child.  The work of the Developmental Specialists is coordinated with the Comprehensive Services Program.

Child Care Slots (Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County)
This program provides funding for child care services, for children ages birth to 12, of qualified working parents (150% of federal poverty level).  This includes emergency funds for up to six months to provide child care to families in dire need as a result of divorce, death, medical emergency or loss of stable income.  Also included is the Child Care Purchasing Pool program, which creates a partnership between the employer, employee and state and local funding sources to generate the dollars necessary to maximize local (subsidy) resources.  For participating businesses, child care services are provided for the dependents of qualifying employees (200% of federal poverty level).

PEPPI Head Start (Lutheran Services Florida)
Provides quality child care for preschoolers and increases the number of children who can be served in a Head Start program.  The goals of this NAEYC-accredited program are to promote social, emotional and physical development and identify early developmental problems through screening and assessment.  Parent education workshops are offered, as well as links to medical and social services.

Head Start (Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners)
The program is an extended day (11 hours), full year program serving children ages 3 to 5, with at least 10% of those enrolled being children with disabilities.  Comprehensive child and family development services include early childhood development, health (physical, mental, dental and nutritional), social services, parent involvement and family support.

Redlands Christian Migrant Association
This program provides quality, affordable child care to infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and increases the number of children who can be served by subsidized child care.  The goals of the NAEYC-accredited program are to promote social, emotional and physical development, identify early developmental problems through screening and assessment, and provide supportive services for parents.