Riverside County has a long history of quality improvement efforts and strong momentum around supporting children and families. Lucky for us, there are many individuals and organizations in the community who are committed to building a high quality early learning system, with integrated services and resources.
That’s why, in 2016, First 5 Riverside, Riverside County Office of Education, and the Consortium for Early Learning Services joined together to establish and administer a Quality Rating and Improvement System, or QRIS, with the objective of improving the quality of early learning environments in the county.
QRIS is a state and national movement to improve the quality of early care and education. In California, each county is responsible for implementing QRIS in their early learning community. Hence, the Quality Start Riverside County system was born.
The partnership between First 5 Riverside, Riverside County Office of Education, and the Consortium for Early Learning Services is based on a shared mission, vision, and guiding principles.
Vision
Every child in Riverside County has access to a high quality early learning environment that build the foundation for success in school and lifelong learning.
Mission
Quality Start will build an integrated and sustainable approach to strengthening and supporting the quality of early learning environments Riverside County’s children, families, and educators.
Guiding Principles
Quality Start Riverside County is dedicated to upholding the following principles, which shape our work with early educators and families in our community:
- We work in partnership so that we can align high quality services to best serve children and strengthen their families
- We are culturally responsive to the diverse languages, values, strengths, and needs of the communities we serve
- We value the expertise of the early learning workforce and support them in attaining the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to provide high quality early learning environments
- We value families as the experts on what is best for their children and recognize family engagement as an important component of quality early learning.
- We use evidence-based best practices as a framework to build a high quality early learning system
- We actively pursue opportunities for continuous improvement so that we can increase the effectiveness and sustainability of the Quality Start system
Of course, our biggest partners in improving the care and education provided to children in Riverside County are YOU, the dedicated professionals who make a difference in the lives of children day in and day out.
We appreciate your participation in our program and dedication to raising the quality of the care and education you provide. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Quality Start at [email protected] or (800) 266-3880.
