Early Childhood Licensing and Quality Rating Resources

Improving and maintaining the quality of early childhood programs.

Child Care Licensing

• Colorado Department of Human Services Division of Child Care
  The Colorado Division of Child Care inspects, licenses and monitors nearly 9,000 child care facilities in the state. These facilities include family child care homes, child care centers, and residential facilities including camps, day treatment centers and child placement agencies. There are training and experience requirements for each type of facility and its staff.

Qualistar Rating System

• Qualistar Early Learning
  Qualistar Early Learning combines a thorough accountability system with a statewide network of resource and referral agencies. They offer a 4-star rating system and a continuous improvement program that measures quality and supplies hundreds of providers with tools and strategies for success.

Accreditation

• Montessori School Accreditation Commission
  The mission of the Montessori School Accreditation Commission is to provide a professional, nationally recognized accrediting agency through which quality Montessori schools may receive recognition based on standards rather than affiliation.
• National After School Association
  In 1998, the National AfterSchool Association launched a nationally recognized system of Program Improvement and Accreditation-based on the organization's Standards-that promotes quality in afterschool programs serving children and youth, 5 to 14 years.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  For nearly 80 years, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has worked to raise the quality of programs for all children from birth through age eight. A major part of NAEYC's efforts to improve early childhood education is through different systems of accreditation for programs that are committed to meeting national standards of quality: Programs for Young Children, Associate Degree Programs, and Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Programs.
• National Association for Family Child Care
  NAFCC developed its first accreditation system in 1988. A 1995 study of accredited providers conducted by the Families and Work Institute confirmed that accreditation increases providers' professionalism and self-esteem, improves quality of care, and develops leadership skills.
• National Association of Child Care Professionals
  Developed for early care and educational professionals by early care and educational professionals. It promotes professionalism and program quality. It contains comprehensive performance standards of evaluation for all components of early care and educational programs.
• National Early Childhood Program Accreditation
  The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation has been supporting educational programs strive for excellence since 1993. Our non-profit organization was created to encourage the availability of high quality early education programs for America's families. Now, as an independent and nationally recognized program, the NECPA is maintaining its pursuit for excellence by delivering its accreditation philosophy to hundreds of early childhood programs across the country.

The websites and resources listed do not necessarily reflect Smart Start Colorado's official position. Inclusion in this website does not constitute endorsement or promotion.