1. A. The Quality Start Child Care Rating System is designed to assess the level of quality of early care and education for programs serving birth through age five, communicate the level of quality, and support improvements of child care centers. The Quality Start Child Care Rating System consists of five star ratings that can be earned by a licensed child care center, uses licensing as the foundation, and has four star ratings above Louisiana’s licensing standards. The system components (administration practices, family and community involvement, program, and staff qualifications) have indicators that must be achieved to earn the star rating.

2. B. The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, in specific instances, may waive compliance with a requirement if it is determined that the economic or adverse impact is sufficiently great to make compliance impractical, as long as the health and well-being of the staff and/or children are not imperiled. If it is determined that the facility or individual is meeting or exceeding the intent of a requirement, the requirement may be deemed to be met. The decision to grant or deny a waiver rests with the sole discretion of the secretary.

   1. 1. One Star—to participate at the one-star level, a child care center shall have a license to operate and comply with standards as defined in LAC 67, Chapter 73, Sections 7301-7354.

   2. 2. Two Star—to earn a two-star award, a child care center must meet all the standards for a One Star, have been in operation for six months, and meet the following:

      1. a. Administration Practices

         1. i. Written personnel policies including:

            1. (a). operational hours;
            2. (b). dress code;
            3. (c). use of telephone; and
            4. (d). schedule.
         2. ii. Job descriptions that include a list of qualifications on file and provided to all staff.

         3. iii. Provide one staff benefit from the list of options below for all full-time staff. Staff benefit options:

            1. (a). employee health insurance or comparable health benefits;
            2. (b). paid annual leave;
            3. (c). paid sick leave;
            4. (d). paid holidays;
            5. (e). child care benefit/discount;
            6. (f). bonus based on merit/achievement or education;
            7. (g). retirement compensation;
            8. (h). annual increments based on merit;
            9. (i). tuition reimbursement and other related educational expenses such as books, travel, fees, substitutes;
            10. (j). differential shift pay;
            11. (k). flextime;
            12. (l). pay professional association membership fee.

      2. b. Family and Community Involvement

         1. i. Parent provided pre-enrollment visit and center tour.
         2. ii. Give every parent enrolling a child a list of community resources including, but not limited to, LaCHIP, Medicaid, child care assistance, housing assistance, SNAP assistance and information on a child’s medical home.

      3. c. Program

         1. i. Make four of the following activity areas available daily:

            1. (a). art and creative play;
            2. (b). children's books;
            3. (c). blocks and block building;
            4. (d). manipulatives; and
            5. (e). family living and dramatic play.
         2. ii. Complete a self assessment of the center's program and develop a Center Improvement Plan.

      4. d. Staff Qualifications

         1. i. Directors and teachers must join and maintain a current record with the Louisiana Pathways Child Care Career Development System. Directors must complete three hours of Introduction to Environment Rating Scale (ERS) training.

         2. ii. Director (on site)

            1. (a). Three semester hour credits in care of young children or child development¹; and
            2. (b). three semester hour credits in administration²; and
            3. (c). one year of experience in teaching young children in an early childhood program.

         3. iii. Assistant Director

            1. (a). Three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development.¹

         4. iv. Teacher―Seventy-five percent of lead teachers must meet one of the following.

            1. (a). Complete three semester hour credits course in the care of young children or child development¹ from a list of approved courses or enroll in the course and complete the course within one year of employment.

   3. 3. Point Standards for child care centers seeking three star rating, four star rating, and five star ratings. To achieve a higher rating, a child care center must meet all requirements of the two star rating and earn points in program and staff qualifications by meeting the requirements listed below. At least one point must be earned in both program and staff qualifications. The quality point referenced in Subparagraph 3.c. may also be earned. The total number of points will determine the star rating awarded to the center.

      1. a. Program

         Points	Criteria
         1	An average of 3.75 on the designated social-emotional subscale of the Environment Rating Scale (ERS)³, with no one classroom score lower than 3.0 on the subscale.
         2	An average of 4.0 on the designated social-emotional subscale of the ERS³ with no one classroom score lower than 3.0 on the subscale.
         3	An average of 4.25 on the designated social-emotional subscale of the ERS³ with no one classroom score lower than 3.25 on the subscale. Staff: Child Ratio and Group Size Written transition procedures for children moving within a program or to other programs or beginning school.
         4	An average of 4.5 on the designated social-emotional subscale of the ERS with no one classroom score lower than 3.5 on the overall ERS. Complete screening for social-emotional development with instrument from recommended list for all children (0-5 yrs.) within 45 calendar days of enrollment and annually thereafter. Conference with parents to review results and provide a list of community resources. Staff: Child Ratio and Group Size Written transition procedures for children moving within a program or to other programs or beginning school.
         5	An average of 5.0 on the overall ERS, with no one classroom score lower than 4.0. Complete screening for social-emotional development with instrument from recommended list for all children (0-5 yrs.) within 45 calendar days of enrollment and annually thereafter. Conference with parents to review results and provide a list of community resources. Provide a plan for continuity of care for all children 0-36 months of age. Implementation of Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth through Three, (DSS October 2006) and the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (DOE June 2003). Staff: Child Ratio and Group Size: 0-24 months 1:4, 8 2 yrs 1:6, 12 3 yrs 1:8, 16 4 yrs 1:10, 20 5 yrs 1:10, 20

      2. b. Staff Qualifications

         Points	Criteria
         1	Directors and all lead teachers complete training in Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Standards which encompasses information from Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth Through Three, (DSS October 2006) and the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (DOE June 2003). Director (on site) Six semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Three semester hour credits in administrative coursework², and One year experience teaching young children in an early childhood program. Assistant Director Three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development.¹ Lead Teacher All of lead teachers must complete three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development from a list of approved courses¹ or enroll in the course and complete the course within one year of employment. Assistant Teacher Fifty percent of assistant teachers must have completed or be enrolled in three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ and complete the course within one year of employment.
         2	Directors and all teachers complete training in Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Standards which encompasses information from Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth Through Three, (DSS October 2006) and the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (DOE June 2003). Director Nine semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Three semester hour credits in administrative coursework²; and One year of teaching experience and one year teaching or administrative experience in an early childhood program. Assistant Director Three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Three semester hour credits in administrative coursework²; and One year experience in teaching young children in an early childhood program. Lead Teacher Seventy-five percent of lead teachers must have completed six semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ from a list of approved courses or have completed three semester hour credits and be enrolled in an additional three semester hour credits in the care of young children, child development or related coursework¹ and complete the course within one year of employment, and One year full-time experience in an early childhood setting. Assistant Teacher Fifty percent of assistant teachers must have completed or be enrolled in three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ and complete the course within one year of employment.
         3	Directors and all teachers complete training in Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Standards which encompasses information from Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth Through Three, (DSS October 2006) and the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (DOE June 2003). Director Twelve semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Six semester hour credits of administrative coursework²; and Three years experience in an early childhood setting as follows: At least one year of teaching experience and at least one year of administrative experience and one year of either teaching or administrative experience. Assistant Director Three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Three semester hour credits in administrative coursework²; and One year experience in teaching young children in an early childhood program. Lead Teacher Seventy-five percent of lead teachers must have completed nine semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ from a list of approved courses or have completed six semester hour credits and be enrolled in an additional three semester hour credits in the care of young children, child development or related coursework¹ and complete the course within one year of employment, and One year full-time experience in an early childhood setting. Assistant Teacher Fifty percent of assistant teachers must have completed three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹.
         4	Directors and all teachers complete training in Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Standards which encompasses information from Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth Through Three, (DSS October 2006) and the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (DOE June 2003). Director Fifteen semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Six semester hour credits of administrative coursework²; and Four years experience in an early childhood setting as follows: At least one year of teaching experience and at least one year of administrative experience and two years of either teaching or administrative experience. Assistant Director Three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Three semester hour credits in administrative coursework²; and One year experience in teaching young children in an early childhood program. Lead Teacher Seventy-five percent of lead teachers must have completed 12 semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ from a list of approved courses or have completed nine semester hour credits and be enrolled in an additional three semester hour credits in the care of young children, child development or related coursework¹ and complete the course within one year of employment and Two years full-time experience in an early childhood setting. Assistant Teacher All assistant teachers must have completed three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹.
         5	Directors and all teachers complete training in Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Standards which encompasses information from Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth Through Three, (DSS October 2006) and the Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (DOE June 2003). Director Associate’s degree in the care of young children, child development or related field, with specific coursework in infant-toddler care, and the care of exceptional children or equivalent such as Director III LA Pathways and Six semester hour credits of administrative coursework² and five years experience in an early childhood setting as follows: At least one year of teaching experience and at least one year of administrative experience, and three years of either teaching or administrative experience. Assistant Director Six semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹; and Three semester hour credits in administration²; and One year experience in teaching young children in an early childhood program. Lead Teacher All lead teachers must have six semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ from a list of approved courses; and Seventy-five percent of lead teachers must have completed 15 semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ from a list of approved courses or have completed 12 semester hour credits and be enrolled in an additional three semester hour credits in the care of young children, child development or related coursework¹ and complete the course within one year of employment; and Two years full-time experience in an early childhood setting for all teachers. Assistant Teacher All assistant teachers must have completed six semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development¹ or have completed three semester hour credits and be enrolled in an additional three semester hour credits in the care of young children, child development or related coursework¹ and complete the course within one year of employment.

      3. c. An additional quality point can be earned by meeting additional requirements in both the administration
         

      4. practices and the family and community involvement areas.

         Quality Point
         Points	Criteria
         1	Administration Practices - meet three requirements below: Provide four of the benefits from the list4 of options below for all full-time staff. Include grievance procedure and a professional conduct code for staff in written personnel policies. Pay scale based on education, experience, responsibilities and merit. Provide training to staff on cultural sensitivity. Written parent and staff confidentiality policy and provide training to staff and Family and Community Involvement - meet four requirements below: Director or assistant director participates annually in at least two director’s meetings provided by the resource and referral agency. Provide a complaint process for parents. Offer opportunity for a formal parent/teacher conference meeting annually. Provide an expanded list of local community resources to parents annually including, but not limited to, LaCHIP, Medicaid, Child Care Assistance, housing assistance, SNAP assistance and information on a child’s medical home. Parent Advisory Council meets annually to review policies, procedures and parent handbook. One group meeting per year offered to all families. One parent education workshop offered per year by center or other agency.

         The following footnotes reference program criteria and staff qualifications in Section 5119:

         Staff Qualifications

         ¹The following may be substituted to meet this requirement of three semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development: a current CDA or have approved high school child development courses or have five years full-time experience in an early childhood program or have completed a Child Care Assistant Teacher 1 LA Pathways Classroom Certificate. The following may be used to meet the requirement of up to six semester hour credits in the care of young children or child development: current CDA or have completed a Child Care Assistant Teacher 2 LA Pathways Classroom Certificate. An individual may use the above substitutions to meet the requirements for a maximum of six semester hour credits.

         ²The following may be substituted to meet the requirement for three semester hour credits in administration: LA Pathways Administrator Certificate or National Administrator Credential (NAC) or three years experience in administration or a combination of one year in administration experience and four years in teaching young children in an early childhood program.

         NOTE For Director Qualification: Experience in teaching young children or administration may only be substituted one time. At the next rating review, the necessary educational requirement (credits in the care of young children or child development or credits in administration) must be met.

         ³For the purpose of this document, the designated social-emotional subscale of the ERS is defined as consisting of the following subscales: ITERS-R - Listening and Talking, Interaction and Program Structure; ECERS-R - Language-Reasoning, Interaction and Program Structure.

         ⁴Staff benefits options: employee health insurance or comparable health benefits; paid annual leave; paid sick leave; paid holiday; child care benefit/discount; bonus based on merit/achievement or education; retirement compensation; annual increments based on merit; tuition reimbursement and other related educational expenses such as books, travel, fees, substitutes; differential shift pay, flextime, paid professional association fee.

      Total Number of Points	Star Rating
      3-5 points	Three Stars
      6-9 points	Four Stars
      10-11 points	Five Stars

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with 45 CFR Part 98 and R.S.36:474.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support, LR 33:2784 (December 2007), amended LR 34:2408 (November 2008), amended by the Department of Children and Family Services, Economic Stability Section, LR 37:3492 (December 2011).