Spotlight On: Quality Initiatives

Introducing the Forum's Newest Department: Quality Initiatives

The Forum's Quality Initiatives Brevard staff pictured from L to R: Stacey Pridmore, Patti Toops, John Skelly, Denise Jansen, Tammy Beaulieu, Kim McDonald, Staci Faenza. NOTE: Not all Quality Initiatives staff are pictured.

Earlier this year, Forum staff members responded to two Requests for Proposals for Quality Enhancement Services and Quality Assurance Services issued respectively by the Early Learning Coalition of Brevard County and the combined Early Learning Coalitions of Florida's Heartland, Sarasota, and Southwest Florida. Both proposals were accepted for funding, and services began on July 1, 2009. Services for the contracts are based on the administration of the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) in child care programs in 10 Florida counties.

Debbie Conley, M.S., has been hired to serve as the Director of Quality Initiatives and oversees all operations for both contracts. Debbie is the former Director of Early Childhood Programs for Devereux Florida and has extensive experience in the use of ERS. In less than two months, Debbie hired and trained 11 staff members; established a satellite office in Rockledge, FL; and ensured that all required services were ready to begin on July 1.

In Brevard County, a staff of seven Early Childhood Specialists provides Quality Enhancement Services, including training, technical assistance, and assessment, to approximately 400 School Readiness providers. Each program will receive an assessment between July 2009 and February 2010. Programs scoring below a threshold of a "4.0" (defined as less than "Good" care) on the ERS will receive a second assessment between March and May 2010 to evaluate the effects of training and technical assistance designed to improve the quality of their classrooms. The Early Childhood Specialists serving Brevard County are Tammy Beaulieu (Program Coordinator), Staci Faenza, Denise Jansen, Kim McDonald, Stacey Pridmore, John Skelly, and Patti Toops.

In Florida's Heartland (Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands Counties), Sarasota County, and Southwest Florida (Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties), four staff members are providing Quality Assurance Services to School Readiness and Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten providers in the form of ERS assessments and/or maintenance of interrater reliability among Coalition-hired ERS Assessors. Programs in Sarasota County and Southwest Florida will receive one assessment during FY 2009-2010 to measure classroom quality, while Forum staff in Florida's Heartland will perform reliability checks on the Coalition's assessors to ensure consistent use of the Scales. The Early Childhood Specialists serving the nine counties in Southwest Florida area include Rebecca Breda (Lead Specialist), Marielena Aguilar, Jennifer Campbell, and Barbara Zirilli-Lonergen.

For more information about the Forum's Quality Initiatives, please contact Beverly Esposito at besposito@thechildrensforum.com; 850-681-7002 or Debbie Conley at dconley@thechildrensforum.com; (321) 266-1746.

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Spotlight On: Quality Initiatives

Introducing the Forum's Newest Department: Quality Initiatives