Quality Programs - Joint Initiatives

Quality Programs

Early childhood education gives children a strong start and builds a foundation for learning that will have an impact on their readiness for kindergarten, as well as overall success in school. JI’s Foundations team is here to support programs with creating the quality environments for children. This includes assistance with navigating the Colorado Shines ratings process, applying for available grant funding, and coaching.

Colorado Shines

Colorado Shines is a way to improve the quality at your program, including early childhood centers and family child care homes.  Additionally, it is a way for families to find quality early childhood programs that meet their individual child care needs.

Visit ColoradoShines.com

  • Level 1: These programs are licensed by the State of Colorado and meet basic health and safety standards. IREE, the local Licensing entity supports centers with Level 1 needs. To learn more, visit the IREE website.
  • Level 2: These programs meet the requirements of Level 1 and are taking specific steps to improve their quality, like completing additional training courses and developing a Quality Improvement Plan.
  • Level 3-5: These quality programs are evaluated using 5 rating categories.  Not all high quality programs look the same; one may focus on providing training for their staff, while another may invest in a stronger learning environment.

We are committed to providing training and technical assistance to help your program reach its Colorado Shines rating goals.

There are other ways that programs can improve their quality that are called “Crosswalks” or “Alternative Pathways.”  These are ratings that have been given an equivalent in the Colorado Shines rating system (e.g., NAFCC, NAEYC) and include pathways for school districts with preschool programs.

If you are interested in accessing supports to reach the next level in Colorado Shines, contact Shay Almonte, Foundations Program Director, to discuss available options for your program.

quality programming

RESOURCES

Colorado Shines Quality Improvement Grants are OPEN

The Foundations Quality Improvement (QI) team at Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families is your local early childhood liaison, dedicated to supporting ALL early childhood programs and professionals in building strong early childhood foundations for children and families. We would be delighted to help your program reach a Colorado Shines rating Level 3-5! Sign an MOU with us to gain access to QI grant funding and coaching support by following the steps below. To learn more about all supports offered by the Foundations team, please view our flyer HERE.

There are TWO STEPS to the application process:

First, login to the Provider Hub for Colorado Shines QRIS.
Click on Application.
Click on each tab of the QRIS Quality Application.
Update your site’s information and click Save.
As you complete each tab, scroll to the top to click the “profile complete and ready to submit” box.
Click the Submit Application button.

Second, while still logged in to QRIS, click on Quality Improvement, then click on the QI Incentives tab.
Click on the blue renew or apply button to complete the Grant Application.

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Stimulus Funding | Quality Improvement Incentives

  • Programs eligible for this funding must have been licensed AND operating as of March 11, 2021.
  • Bonus payments for new and existing programs that increase their quality level.
  • Amounts range from $2,000-$2,500 for family homes and centers serving infants and toddlers moving from Level 1 to 2, and $3,500-$4,000 for moving from Level 2 to 3-5.

How to access funds:

  • Programs apply through the existing Colorado Shines QRIS system.
  • The expected time for completing the rating process is 4-6 months for programs seeking a high-quality rating (Levels 3-5).
  • For grant questions, contact Brittany Hasenbalg, Foundations Early Childhood Manager. 
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Child Care Stabilizations Grants

Child Care Stabilizations grants are opened for applications in January. If you missed the January 28th deadline, you can still apply, but payments will be made later. You will receive a payment schedule and reporting requirements after your application is approved.  Programs eligible for this funding must have been licensed AND operating as of March 11, 2021.

All licensed providers should have received an email from MetrixIQ, the company that is managing the application for these funds. Specifically, this email came from coecstimulus@metrixiq.com and was sent to the individual that you have listed as the primary contact within the state database. This email contains a specific link for you to apply for the Child Care Stabilization grants. If you are a program with multiple licensed sites, you will receive an email for each licensed program. We hear that MetrixIQ is working on a solution for these types of organizations, but for the time being you will need to fill out an application for each license. An Application Guide and a provider resource folder have been developed to assist you with this process. Information about the allowable use of these funds can be found by clicking here and updates will be made to the stimulus website at coecstimulus.com.

The following documents will be needed to fill out your application:

  • A copy of your W-9 form, which includes your Federal Social Security Number (SSN) if you are an individual or the Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) if you are an organization.
  • Program License Number
  • Automated Clearing House (ACH) banking information

If you need assistance along the way, or run into any problems you can reach out to MetrixIQ in the following ways and expect to hear back from the team within an estimated 48 hours:

As your Early Childhood Council, we are here to provide you with technical support and answer questions that come up along the way. Please reach out to us for assistance at 719.630.0927, Ext. 725.

 

The Department of Early Childhood’s Provider Hub is your access point to the QRIS Portal, Licensing, the CCCAP Attendance Tracking System (ATS), and the PDIS, as well as where you will update your operational status. Learn more here.

Learn more about ratings and QRIS HERE. If your rating decreases, so does your reimbursement rate for CCCAP. Don’t let your rating expire!

For technical assistance with navigating the rating process or to celebrate your rating results, email SAlmonte@jointinitiatives.org.

View alternative pathways HERE.

The PDIS is the statewide system that provides training and tracks the required qualifications and voluntary credentials of early childhood professionals. Review the PDIS Fact Sheet and FAQ for PDIS for full details.

Necesitas guías practicas de como navegar el PDIS?

Otros enlaces útiles:

Se ha ampliado el plazo para descargar documentos de la OLD PDIS

Si necesita ayuda con una consulta o cuenta específica, comuníquese con el servicio de asistencia de PDIS de Colorado Shines al: 1-844-447-4441 o correo electrónico: cdhs_pdishelp@state.co.us
o envíe un correo electrónico a Denise Raygoza: raygoza_d@cde.state.co.us

For more information click HERE and subscribe to our PD Update.

Eligible school district programs may apply to be included in Levels 3 and 4 based on their submitted crosswalk data. Programs wishing to pursue a Level 5 must apply to be rated by a qualified Colorado Shines assessor by submitting an application to be evaluated. Click Application + Instructions for details.

Coaching

Foundations/Alliance for Kids did a study with a group of EQIT participants who received coaching. These were teachers, family child care providers, and directors just like you. On average, 95% of participants in the study reported an increase in competence and confidence, their ability to build relationships with children, their sense of professionalism, and their job satisfaction. Everyone wants to have a fulfilling job that they are great at, and coaches can come along beside you can help get you there!

Coaching + REflective Supervision

Coaching is…

  • A safe space to reflect on your work and grow as a professional
  • Focused on strengths you have and how to build on those
  • Talking about challenges you face in your workplace and brainstorm positive solutions
  • Personalized to your work environment, style of teaching, and areas of interest
  • A way to increase and/or maintain quality programming for the children in your classroom

What coaching can do for your profession:

  • Earn points on the Professional Development Information System (PDIS)
  • Just one coaching observation can earn you up to 10 points toward your professional credential!
  • Earn Points on Colorado Shines for your center!

Director and Classroom Coaches will provide you with the Practice-Based Coaching necessary to reach your Quality Improvement goals by:

  1. Planning goals and action steps that make sense for your program.
  2. Engaging in focused observation.
  3. Reflecting on and sharing feedback about teaching or administrative practices.

Colorado Shines Quality Improvement grant funds may be used for coaching.

In addition to the 48 hours of direct EQIT class time, infant and toddler participants may receive hands-on, on-site coaching using the EQIT RELATE Coaching Model.  The EQIT coach is trained in strengths-based coaching and spends time with participants to help them identify all the things they do well and helps them implement the new ideas learned in EQIT classes into their everyday work with infants and toddlers.

Infant and toddler participants may receive a minimum of five hours of coaching, however, additional coaching may be requested. Completing eight or more hours of coaching allows participants to receive two points towards the Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0 in the Professional Information System (PDIS).  EQIT course graduates may continue working with their EQIT coach for up to one year following the training, pending availability of funded coaching hours.

For more information on EQIT coaching, contact Erica Evans at EEvans@jointinitiatives.org.

Foundations offers the following coaching packages for a fee.

  • CLASS Coaching – Classroom
  • CLASS Coaching – Individual Professional Development
  • ERS for a Classroom
  • ERS for Individual Professional Development
  • Colorado Shines Rating Preparation
  • Other

We accept payments for coaching using PayPal – no account needed.

Are you a coach in El Paso County that is in need of Reflective Supervision? Please submit an email using our Contact Us Form to find out more about local opportunities to engage in this professional development for coaches.

An early childhood coach is a professional who works directly with early childhood educators — including teachers, infant and toddler early care and learning providers, supervisors and directors— to build capacity for continuous quality improvement. As stated by the Colorado Coaching Consortium in the Colorado Coaching Competencies, “Coaching is a learning process based on a collaborative relationship that is intentionally designed to promote sustainable growth in the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to effectively implement the best practices for the development of young children and their families (2009).” 
 
Complete information regarding becoming a credentialed coach can be found on PDIS – HERE.
Dynamic Coaching Systems in collaboration with the University of Colorado at Denver offers a program for earning a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Coaching! The certificate program provides experiential learning in best coaching practices for teacher-leaders, coaches, directors, principals, home child care providers, early interventionists, special education staff, or anyone looking to enhance their coaching skills. To learn more, click HERE.

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