Frequently Asked Questions

Question	I am the center manager but not the director of record for the facility. Who is to take the training assigned for the director even if they are not at the site supervising the staff?
Answer	The director of record (name on the child care license) must take the training, but the supervisor can as well.
Question	If a new staff member starts two months before we are to be monitored how many staff training hours must they have completed?
Answer	The number of months that a new staff member has been employed (example 2) would equal to 2/12 or 1/6 of the total hours the teaching staff needs for the criteria the facility is trying to meet (start step 2, 3, 4 or 5).
Question	What is the definition of a full-time teacher?
Answer	A full-time teacher works 6 hours a day as a teacher in the classroom.
Question	After the child care facility’s staff has completed the Early Learning Guidelines training, how many years is the training valid?
Answer	The training is valid until the guidelines are updated by appropriate state agencies.
Question	After the child care facility director has completed the Child Care as a Business training, how many years is the training valid?
Answer	The training is valid for four years.
Question	If there is a “stellar” parent resource center in a community, can child care facilities in the community get credit for that parent resource center to satisfy the criteria of having a parent resource center under step 4?
Answer	No. The Criteria in the Mississippi Child Care Quality Step System stipulates in Step 4 that the child care facility have a Parent Resource Center and Step 3 requires a Parental Lending Library. These must be on-site.
Question	Once the director completes the free online self-assessment and if the results indicate that there are no weakness/deficiencies, is the director still required to have a plan of action?
Answer	Yes, there is an assumption that there is always room for improvement. Therefore, each director should have a plan of action and document the strategies implemented to address noted weaknesses/deficiencies.

 

Following are Anticipated Questions and Answers

1. Step 1: The first step in the MCCQSS is that the child care facility must be licensed as outlined in the MS Department of Health’s Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities.

Question: Does my center have to be licensed for the upcoming year when I apply for the MCCQSS? (EX: The program is due for licensure renewal in December 2007, do I have to wait for a new license?)

Answer: No, but if your facility loses its license or is put on probation during the MCCQSS program year, your additional funding for the step level will cease and your program would have to reapply for the MCCQSS when the licensing issues have been resolved. Monthly checks with the licensing department will occur to monitor any change in status or programs in the pilot area.

2. Section 102.2: Documentation referred to under 102.2 is considered a certificate of completion for staff development hours that is placed in the staff personnel file.

NOTE: The training must be completed by approved training entities. A list can be provided by the Child Care Licensing division of the MS Department of Health. No allowable in-house hours can be counted in the 15 hours total for the MCCQSS. This does not affect licensing requirements.

3. Section 102.3: A total score of 3.0-3.5 on the Early Childhood Rating Scales-R (ECERS-R) and/or the Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-R) as defined in the glossary.

Question: What is the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-R and the Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale-R?

Answer: The scales are used in most rating systems across the country. They are research driven and rate the learning environment from a 1-7 with 1 being low and 7 high. Independent observers will visit the facilities and spend several hours reviewing the classroom activities and record the conditions using the scales. The scales can be purchased through Teachers College Press, Kaplan and from the internet web site if using the name of the scales to locate the site. The programs participating in Leaders in Literacy and Partners for Quality Child Care have used the scales in the past.

4. Section 102.4: Parent Involvement Criteria

Question: How do I document the required elements under the section?

Answer: Place a copy of each communication to parents in a parent communication file. The parent communication bulletin board should be current and up all year. Each child’s record would have a copy of the documented parent/teacher conference signed and dated.

Question: If the facility staff has never done formalized parent/teacher conference and I want to apply, how can I get the conferences done in time?

Answer: The date that you apply for the MCCQSS is for you to determine. If you want to have an application submitted by December then the conferences should be completed prior to the monitoring visit which could occur in January or February.

5. Section 102.5: Evaluation Criteria

Question: What is a self assessment instrument?

Answer: As stated, the instruments used by a director to evaluate their own skills will target strengths and weaknesses of the director that affect the quality of the program. Only self-assessment instruments approved by OCY will be allowed to be used in the process.

Question: What is a self-improvement plan?

Answer: A self improvement plan is a list of actions that the director will take to improve areas that the director identifies as weakness areas with outcomes listed to show how the operations of the facility will improve. An additional training will be provided for programs in the pilot sites in October that are wanting to apply with more information provided on this at that time.

Question: What is a staff evaluation conference?

Answer: A Staff evaluation conference that is documented means that the director and teaching staff meet so that the director can report the results of an evaluation of the staff’s performance. Ideas on how to improve are also provided as well as positive feedback given to staff when they excelled in certain areas. NOTE: All staff members must have a conference with a signed and dated form indicating that the conference was held (cooks, maintenance, van drivers – anyone paid from the budget of the program). The evaluation must be in the staff member’s personnel file.

NOTE: The child care facility must have successfully completed all of the criteria for Steps 1 and 2 before going on to Step 3.

6. Section 103.01:

Question: Where can I take the Child Care as a Business course and how can I sign up?

Answer: The information will be mailed to all facilities in the pilot area. Information is also available on the Quality Step web site listed under Workshops. If the director has taken the course within the last three years and has that documentation it will be sufficient for meeting this criterion.

7. Section 103.01: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and at least one appropriate referral and/or assessment is on file…

Question: What does this mean?

Answer: This means that there must be on file a formal agreement with at least one agency that shows a partnership with another agency that provides a service to the children at the facility. There is a sample MOU in the MCCQSS Criteria document.

8. Section 103.02: Professional Development Criteria

Question: How many monthly staff meetings do I have to have documented before I can apply for the MCCQSS?

Answer: The documentation should begin at least one month prior to the application.

Question: How may directors document the criteria of staff listed in the criterion for professional development? 

Answer: All information required must be in each staff member’s file. A copy of an official transcript from an AA degree in Child Development technology granting institution and/or a copy of an official transcript from a bachelor’s degree granting institution in child development, early childhood special education, early childhood education or elementary education and/or a current CDA certificated in at least one staff member’s file. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE DIRECTOR. A copy of GED or high school diploma and a notarized statement or copy of a birth certificate or driver’s license must be in each staff member’s file testifying they are 18 years or older.

9. Section 103.03: Learning Environments

Question: How do directors get trained on the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines?

Answer: Training sessions will be scheduled periodically and all licensed facilities will be notified by mail of the date and place. This refers to the Guidelines for three- and four-year olds.

10. Section 103.04: Parent Involvement Criteria

Question: How will be the criteria be documented in this section?

Answer: Copies of all weekly notes to parents will be placed in a parent involvement file for each class age (infants, toddlers, three-year-olds, and so forth). Copies of the notices for education trainings for parents and sign-in sheets will be kept on file. The trainings must start at least one month before application for participation in the MCCQSS is made. A record of books/resources checked out by parents will be reviewed as documentation that materials are being taken out on a lending basis.

11. Section 103.05: Evaluation Criteria

Question: where can I get a copy of the Caregiver Interaction Scale?

Answer: A copy of the scale will be provided to each applicant attending a pre-application meeting.

12. Section 104.01: Administrative Policy Criteria

Question: What is a professional development plan?

Answer: A professional development plan for staff members is a plan to help them get more training in an area that was noted in the annual evaluation that needed additional support. Implementation of the plan is the documentation of the fact that a teacher of infants received training from an approved training entity on how to establish language stimulation in the classroom while performing routine activities with the babies. This training was provided because the need for the teacher to emphasize language development was noted in the teacher’s staff evaluation.

13. Section 104.02: Professional Development Criteria

Question: How will the documentation be provided for the first criteria?

Answer: Documentation of the director’s degree and credit hours and a copy of the official transcript from the degree granting institution and/or transcript with the credit hours listed in the criteria.

14. Section 104.04: Parent Involvement Criteria

Question: What type of proof will I need to gather for parental involvement?

Answer: Examples of the documentation of a parent- family volunteer program include a copy of the invitation to the families of children enrolled in the program stating that the facility will implement a family volunteer program to address an identified need of the facility. An example is that a facility has such as a clean-up day where families come to do outside and inside projects to brighten up the facility. A sign-in sheet or participating parents and photos of the event are also provided as documentation.

15. Section 104.05: Evaluation Criteria

Question: What type of survey to rate the performance of staff should be used?

Answer: An example of the survey will provided at the pre-application meeting.

16. Section 105.01: Administrative Policy

Question: How will the implementation of the developmental checklist be documented?

Answer: A copy of the completed developmental checklist on each child will be placed in their folder.

Question: How will a transition plan and its implementation with LEA’s (Local Education Agencies) for children entering kindergarten be documented?

Answer: A signed for from the LEA(s) where the transition(s) occurred will serve as documentation of the transition occurring.

Question: How will documentation of a minimum of 2 hours per month of peer mentoring be documented?

Answer: A signed form by the center seeking assistance indicating the date and time mentoring occurred and the type of mentoring provided for the step level advancement proposed by the center seeking assistance.

17. Section 105.03: Learning Environments

Question: How will documentation be provided to support the implementation of the Early Learning Guidelines?

Answer: The documentation will be recorded on the weekly lesson plans as to the learning standards that are covered, using the numerical designations as provided in the Early Learning Guidelines.

 

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