2017 Quality Matters ratings are in!

We have new ratings for 40 licensed child care programs participating in Quality Matters, Contra Costa County’s quality rating and improvement system that helps programs offer the best care possible.

Combined with ratings completed last year, we’ve rated 108 licensed child care programs. Nearly 90% are meeting benchmarks and standards for quality care. View all ratings here.

How ratings work.

Quality Matters rates child care programs using a scale of one to five on elements including:

• Providing positive, engaging teacher-child interactions
• Providing a safe, healthy and stimulating environment
• Teacher training and qualifications
• Using recommended assessments to check if children are learning new skills and developing on track
• Ratio and class size (centers only)

Family child care programs, private centers, and public centers, such as Head Start or state preschool programs, participate.

Programs are rated every two years and receive intensive coaching, training, financial incentives and support to maintain or improve ratings. Of the 40 programs rated in 2017, 28 were rated for a second time and 12 received their first rating. Ratings of “3” or above mean programs have met quality standards and benchmarks.

Quality is improving.

Results for the 28 re-rated programs in 2017 show that:

• Nearly every program is meeting quality standards and benchmarks.
• 11 programs increased their ratings, many moving from a 4 to a 5, a rating difficult to achieve.
• 16 programs received the same rating.
• Only one program decreased its rating.

In the five years since we launched Quality Matters, 83 child care programs have been rated twice. Eighty-four percent of these programs earned the two highest ratings, and most are state preschools or publicly-funded programs serving low-income children.

First 5 Contra Costa developed Quality Matters with the Contra Costa County Office of Education, Local Planning and Advisory Council for Early Care and Education, CocoKids, and Contra Costa, Diablo Valley, and Los Medanos Community Colleges.

To learn more or apply to participate, visit qualitychildcarematters.org.