What are the NC Additional Notes?
The NC Additional Notes provide supplementary information to help NCRLAP assessors interpret and make scoring decisions when using the Environment Rating Scales for NC Star Rated License Assessments. These notes are also intended to provide additional information for the public on requirements for specific indicators that are commonly questioned or misunderstood during the assessment process in North Carolina.
The Importance of the NC Additional Notes
Because they provide additional information for many items in the rating scales, the NC Additional Notes are an authoritative resource for child care providers, quality enhancement staff, and child care consultants when preparing for an assessment. Our recommendation is that anyone using the rating scales for the star rated license should consult the NC Additional Notes.
How can I get a copy of the NC Additional Notes?
Each of the rating scales has a set of notes and these can be viewed and printed by selecting a link above. If you are participating in an assessment for the NC Star Rated License, we would be glad to mail the NC Notes along with the other materials we send before your assessment. Just tell your scheduler that you want us to send you the NC Additional Notes during the scheduling conversation.
Updates and Revisions
The NC Additional Notes are updated twice annually, as needed, so be sure to check this website on a regular basis for our most current notes. At this point in time, additions or revisions are typically minor and changes do not always occur twice annually for each rating scale.
How are the NC Additional Notes written?
The NC Additional Notes are written by our State Anchors to provide the "final word" regarding how our staff should interpret and score indicators found in the rating scales.
What about the Authors' Additional Notes for Clarification?
The authors of the Environment Rating Scales provide their own set of Additional Notes for Clarification on the Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI) website at www.ersi.info. Many may find it helpful to read their notes. However, it is important to understand that the NC Additional Notes, rather than the ERSI (or FPG) Additional Notes are the primary resource used during the assessment process in North Carolina. For example NCRLAP assessors do not use ITERS-R, ECERS-R or SACERS-U Additional Notes found on the ERSI website. However, for the FCCERS-R, the ERSI Additional Notes are used to supplement the NC Additional Notes. In situations where the author's notes are used to guide NCRLAP scoring, the NC Additional Notes specify this for each item/indicator.
