Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions:
- How is quality assessed?
- How should I prepare for the visit?
- Where can I find the NC Additional Notes?
- What should I expect on the day of the assessment?
- What should I expect after the assessment?
- Reasons why the scales are used in North Carolina.
- What other supplementary documents do I need?
- How to obtain the Rating Scales or related materials?
- Learn more about the Rating Scales from the scale authors
- More...
How is quality assessed?
Highly trained assessors record the daily activities and interactions observed in a child care setting using the items found in one of the following four rating scales:
- Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale - Revised —birth through 30 months.
- Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised —Over 2 1/2 years to 5 years.
- Family Day Care Rating Scale and Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale-Revised —multi-age care in a home environment.
- School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale—5 to 12 years.
How should I prepare for the visit?
According to a survey of providers, the five most common ways to prepare include:
1. Read and study the Environmental Rating Scales and the NC Additional Notes.2. Participate in a “self-assessment” before the scheduled assessment.
3. Request information or assistance from DCD Child Care Consultant, other agencies such as a local Smart Start Partnership or Resource and Referral, or other providers who have completed an assessment at their center or home.
4. Prepare your facility to maximize the score. Any changes should reflect the best practices for young children and should improve the quality of the program on an ongoing basis.
5. When your facility is ready for the assessment, inform the children that they will have a visitor to help them feel more comfortable when the assessor conducts the assessment.
It is strongly recommended that program staff examine the NC Additional Notes, as well as the NCRLAP's Requirements for Gross Motor Space and Equipment and USDA meal guidelines used during the assessment process. These materials can be accessed under our "Resources" menu.
Prior to the assessment, participating program staff are asked to complete several forms detailing information about teacher education, daily schedule, and other classroom information. The owner/director will provide the completed forms to the assessors on the day of the assessment.
Where can I find the NC Additional Notes?
A description of the purpose the NC Additional Notes, including how they are
written and used by NCRLAP assessors, is available by clicking the link below:
What should I expect on the day of the assessment?
Upon Arrival of the Assessor
The assessor will arrive when the center or home opens or when children are arriving. Before the observation begins, the assessor will typically greet the owner/director, provide an overview of the day, and may tour the entire facility. In child care centers, classrooms are chosen on the day of each scheduled assessment using random selection based on specific criteria--such as one-third of the classrooms, and assessing each age group.
The Observation
The observation will take approximately three to five hours. During the visit, the assessor will observe a wide variety of interactions, activities, and materials as required by the rating scale. For example, the assessor will observe indoor and outdoor space, materials used by the children, room arrangements, health practices, staff/child interactions, and so on. To ensure a valid assessment, the assessors will not interact with the children or staff during the assessment and will stay in the “background” as much as possible when conducting the observation.
Interview with Staff
The Environment Rating Scales require a 30- to 45-minute interview with a staff member after the observation to complete scoring. Depending on the facility type, this may involve the family child care home provider, the lead classroom teacher, and /or the program director. The interview may take place during naptime, or while a substitute teacher replaces the child care provider.
What should I expect after the assessment?
For each observation, the assessor will complete a detailed report that identifies the program’s strengths and areas that could be improved as determined by the Environment Rating Scale assessment. The completed report is forwarded to the DCD Child Care Consultant who will contact the owner/provider to review and discuss the summary report.
The summary report is designed to provide constructive feedback so child care provider and directors may enhance the program’s quality through developing a plan of action. This may include brainstorming with staff, training and technical assistance from local or regional resources, purchasing equipment, rearranging rooms, or reviewing and revising policies, procedures, and daily practices.
Some reasons why the scales are used in North Carolina:
1. Reliable and valid instruments with many uses; including:
- Program enhancement
- Regulation
- Research
2. Observation based classroom assessment
3. Comprehensive coverage e.g., physical environment, language-reasoning, interactions, program structure, health and safety
4. Range of quality scores are easy to understand
1 = Inadequate (dangerous for children)
3 = Minimal (basic care)
5 = Good (developmentally appropriate care)
7 = Excellent (best quality care)
What other supplementary documents do I need?
There are several standard documents that you should be aware and your consultant may have other documents related to the program standards portion of the NC Star Rated License. These documents are available under the "Resources" menu and include:
1. NC Additional Notes for each rating scale.
2. NCRLAP's Requirements for Gross Motor Space and Equipment.
3. Meal Guidelines: Ages 1 - 12 and/or Infant Meal Guidelines: Ages 0 to 11 months.
How to obtain the Rating Scales or related materials?
Copies of all of the rating scales, including the new FCCERS-R, are available at your local Resource & Referral or Partnership agencies. The FCCERS-R can also be purchased from Teachers College Press (1-800-575-6566), Red Leaf Press (1-800-423-8309), Kaplan (1-800-334-2014) and Amazon.com.
Learn more about the Rating Scales from the scale authors
To learn more about the use of the Rating Scales, such as its use in research or training, we recommend that you visit the scale author's website at: www.fpg.unc.edu
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