The Delaware Department of Education, Office of Early Learning has released the FY26 Program and Policy Guide for Delaware’s Quality Improvement System (QIS) for Early Care and Education Programs. This guide provides information to support the development of Quality Improvement Plans (QIP) and applications for Quality Improvement Awards (QIA).
As part of Delaware’s revised Quality Improvement System (QIS), Continuous Quality Improvement is a cycle where data is used to identify a program’s strengths and opportunities for growth. The data guides program leaders to identify a goal, build an improvement plan, access relevant supports, and monitor their progress. Co-creating a QIP with a DIEEC Quality Improvement Specialist (QISp) is a prerequisite for applying for QIA funds. Licensed early care and education programs may request quality improvement planning support from a DIEEC Quality Improvement Specialist through the Delaware Early Care and Education (ECE) portal.
Delaware’s revised Quality Improvement System (QIS) includes three Quality Indicators that represent broad content areas. Each Quality Indicator includes a set of Key Practices that help to define the Quality Indicator, and each Key Practice (KP) has a Pathway to support programs
in Continuous Quality Improvement. These Key Practices and Pathways inform the QIPs that are co-created with the program’s QISp.
The Quality Indicators and Key Practices for both early childhood center-based programs and family child care programs can be viewed below.
Early Childhood Center-Based Quality Indicators & Key Practices
Quality Indicator: Creating Conditions for Quality
Programs implement policies, procedures, and systems that support children, families, and early childhood professionals in the provision of early care and education.
Key Practices
- Develops and implements a vision, mission, and program goals with meaningful input from families and the community.
- Implements an effective financial management system.
- Implements a comprehensive risk management plan.
- Implements practices to recruit and maintain highly quality educators, consultants, and contractors.
- Implements procedures to orient staff.
- Promotes professional growth and personal well-being for all educators and staff.
- Provides effective and meaningful supervision on teaching practice.
- Creates an effective and positive organizational climate.
Quality Indicator: Positive Climate and High-Quality Interactions
Programs create culturally responsive, playful learning environments, using intentional and responsive interactions to promote relationships between educators and children and build a sense of community, while using developmentally-appropriate approaches to support each child’s learning and development.
Key Practices
- Incorporates a whole child approach, intentionally supporting children through positive interactions.
- Uses culturally responsive and identity affirming practices to build meaningful connections and foster a sense of community in the classroom.
- Implements a comprehensive and research-based developmental screening process that is linked to follow-up.
- Implements a research-based, comprehensive curriculum individualized through use of curriculum-based developmental assessment.
- Implements inclusive practices and provides environments that are responsive to the developmental needs of all children enrolled in the program.
- Provides accessible indoor and outdoor learning environments that promote curiosity and playful exploration.
Quality Indicator: Family Engagement and Community Services
Programs promote families in their roles as their child’s first teacher and engage in collaborative relationships with community organizations to holistically support children and their families.
Key Practices
- Implements policies and practices that encourage families to be involved and connected with their children’s development and learning.
- Uses culturally responsive and anti-bias strategies to intentionally engage with and respond to the needs of both the children and families enrolled in the program.
- Engages with community organizations to support and promote child and family well-being.
- Supports children and families with transitions to and from new learning environments.
Early Childhood Family Child Care Quality Indicators & Key Practices
Quality Indicator: Creating Conditions for Quality
Programs implement policies, procedures, and systems that support children, families, and early childhood professionals in the provision of early care and education.
Key Practices
- Develops and implements a vision, mission, and program goals with meaningful input from families and the community.
- Implements an effective financial management system.
- Implements a comprehensive risk management plan.
- Implements practices to recruit and maintain highly quality educators, consultants, and contractors.
- Implements procedures to orient staff.
- Promotes professional growth and personal well-being for all educators and staff.
- (LFCC) Provides effective and meaningful supervision on teaching practice.
Quality Indicator: Positive Climate and High-Quality Interactions
Programs create culturally responsive, playful learning environments, using intentional and responsive interactions to promote relationships between educators and children and build a sense of community, while using developmentally-appropriate approaches to support each child’s learning and development.
Key Practices
- Incorporates a whole child approach, intentionally supporting children through positive interactions.
- Uses culturally responsive and identity affirming practices to build meaningful connections and foster a sense of community in the classroom.
- Implements a comprehensive and research-based developmental screening process that is linked to follow-up.
- Implements a research-based, comprehensive curriculum individualized through use of curriculum-based developmental assessment.
- Implements inclusive practices and provides environments that are responsive to the developmental needs of all children enrolled in the program.
- Provides accessible indoor and outdoor learning environments that promote curiosity and playful exploration.
Quality Indicator: Family Engagement and Community Services
Programs promote families in their roles as their child’s first teacher and engage in collaborative relationships with community organizations to holistically support children and their families.
Key Practices
- Implements policies and practices that encourage families to be involved and connected with their children’s development and learning.
- Uses culturally responsive and anti-bias strategies to intentionally engage with and respond to the needs of both the children and families enrolled in the program.
- Engages with community organizations to support and promote child and family well-being.
- Supports children and families with transitions to and from new learning environments.
Revision History for Delaware’s Quality Improvement System
Like your program, Delaware Stars is in a continuous quality improvement cycle. We use what we’ve learned to improve the system to support you in providing quality care and education.
The goals of the current revision include the following:
- Ratings are closely aligned to factors proven to improve and sustain child, family, workforce, and program outcomes.
- The Stars system incorporates multiple indicators of program quality.
- Each level of Stars incorporates a cycle of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).
- Equity and inclusion are demonstrated throughout the Stars system.
- The financial incentive and provider support structures are revised to better meet the needs of all programs and support CQI.
- Further align early childhood systems and create/improve data linkages.
To formally evaluate the Delaware Stars system, Delaware contracted with the RAND Corporation from 2013-2016 to conduct an independent evaluation. Additionally, we looked at other states’ QIS to gain insights on Delaware Stars.
Here are some of the key learnings:
- Program quality increased modestly as star levels increased.
- FCCs tended to have higher quality scores.
- Children’s executive functioning skills were modestly higher in star level 5 programs
- Management & Administration and Qualifications & Professional Development domains moderately (positively) related to children’s cognitive skills.
- We need to pay more attention to workforce issues.
- Program and classroom quality measurement needs improvement.
- We may be leaving out important quality variables such as– children’s engagement, continuity, stability, etc.
Revision Reference Materials (for previously-named QRIS):
- QRIS Revision Introduction
OEL presentation to introduce the revision process and share collected data with stakeholders. - Revision Report 1
A summary of initial stakeholder feedback on Delaware’s current QRIS. - Research Synthesis
Overview of QRIS and recommendations for Delaware’s QRIS revision. - Structural Recommendation Information Sessions
OEL presentation to share and gather feedback on the proposed structural changes to the QRIS model. - Revision Report 2
Summary of feedback on the initial draft proposal for structural changes gathered during information sessions. - Delaware Theory of Change
This is the Theory of Change for the Delaware Early Childhood Education Systems with a specific focus on the Stars revision process.
Past QRIS Updates:
