Description:
The book begins with a general introduction to QRIS, which familiarizes readers with the purpose, design, history, and evaluation of QRIS. Referring to QRIS as a "potentially comprehensive approach to improvement" (p. 25), the authors dedicate the rest of the book to an in-depth examination of one QRIS--that of Palm Beach County in Florida. As the authors describe, the "Palm Beach County Quality Improvement System (QIS) is a comprehensive, voluntary, early care, and education improvement system that seeks to enhance the quality of childcare, so that children from birth to age five will be healthy and ready to learn when they enter school" (p. 29). Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book is the deep dive into one QRIS, its development, design, and outcomes. The authors indicate their hope that the book can provide useful guidance to others designing and implementing QRIS. The book also includes samples of agreements, standards, forms, checklists, and scoring rubrics from the Palm Beach County QIS. At times, the chapters contain content similar to that already presented in other chapters, making the text read more like a collection of articles than a unified book. Even so, there is much that can be learned from the lessons presented. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Book Reviews