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Paths to QUALITY™

Paths to QUALITY™ - Indiana’s Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement System

Research shows that high quality early childhood programs prepare children for future success in school, work and life. From birth through age 5 is the most important time for growth of the human brain. A child’s brain develops in response to the child’s experiences by building neurological networks in reaction to the environment.

A child’s experiences in a child care program can significantly contribute to that brain development and the future success of the child. High quality child care programs are essential, not only to Hoosier children, but also to their families and to the communities in which they live. Parents need stable, high quality care in order to be productive at work. They count on their child care provider to ensure that their child is safe, healthy and learning during those hours they must be at work. Our school systems need children who are entering school prepared and ready to succeed. Businesses need a high quality work force both now and in the future. In fact, studies have shown that high quality early childhood programs increase the graduation rate, reduce the future crime rate and can save up to sixteen dollars for every one dollar invested. High quality child care programs are essential to everyone.

In order to improve the quality of child care programs, states across the nation are using Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, such as the one here in Indiana, Paths to QUALITY™. Quality Rating and Improvement Systems assess the quality of care within a program, work to improve that quality level, and give families an easy to recognize symbol that makes the difficult decision of choosing child care easier. These systems also provide an accountability measure for funding and create an alignment between licensing, subsidy and quality across child care, Head Start and the Department of Education’s early learning guidelines.

Paths to QUALITY™ gives families an easy to recognize tool for selecting a child care program. Families can look for the Paths to QUALITY™ logo to determine what level their provider has achieved. Each level builds on the foundation of the previous one, resulting in significant quality improvements at each stage and in national accreditation at the highest level. The system validates child care programs for ongoing efforts to achieve higher standards of quality and provides incentives and awards for success. The four levels address:

• Level One: Health and safety needs of children met
• Level Two: Environment supports children’s learning
• Level Three: Planned curriculum guides child development and school readiness
• Level Four: National accreditation (the highest indicator of quality) is achieved

For more information on Paths to QUALITY™, please visit https://brighterfuturesindiana.org/.

Our Mission

Paths to QUALITY™ is dedicated to supporting the well-being and success of all Indiana children through a statewide system that improves child development and age-appropriate learning experiences, promotes high quality child care, and supports and empowers parents as teachers and decision makers.

Our Goals

Through Paths to QUALITY™ we can help child care programs take the necessary steps to achieve higher levels of quality in their programs; and empower families with an easy to understand consumer guide to choosing the care that is best for their children. Elevating community awareness on the importance of quality child care and early education requires a systematic approach which involves:

• Education of parents on the need for quality early education and child care and how to identify and select developmentally appropriate experiences that will help children as they enter school.
• Advocacy and public awareness within the community that promotes quality child care standards, child care worker education and its impact on business and economic development
• Development of well-trained qualified child care and early education staff through child care professional training and mentoring
• Availability of high quality, affordable child care and appropriate early education experiences for families and children at all socio-economic levels
• Collaboration with other community organizations as well as private businesses and foundations to develop solutions to ensure that all of our community's children will have opportunities to develop to their fullest potential