[kids-lib] Resource for childcare providers

[Rick Samuelson]

Hi gang,

In case folks want a little more information on QRIS, I have attached some Data Facts that I received from my local Child Care Resource & Referral the other day.  It sums up how QRIS works and has some Oregon statistics.

Take care,

Rick Samuelson, Youth Services Librarian
Washington County Cooperative Library Services
(503) 648-9785 x5#
From: Kids-lib [mailto:kids-lib-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Katie Anderson
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 8:58 AM
To: (kids-lib at listsmart.osl.state.or.us)
Subject: [kids-lib] Resource for childcare providers

Hello! Most of you work with childcare providers in one way or another so you may be aware of the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) that is rolling out this year. Very generally speaking, QRIS is similar to the hotel star rating system--stars indicate the types of services and amenities a hotel offers (objective), not what customers think about it (subjective). QRIS will rate childcare providers' commitment to quality based on their level of training/education among several other factors. This means more and more childcare providers will be looking for training, including taking some college classes or even going back to college to get a degree.

Libraries are already thinking about how they can provide Every Child Ready to Read training for Oregon Registry continuing education credit to meet this coming need. However, have you thought about how LearningExpress can also help meet childcare providers' needs? I hadn't until a few weeks ago. I brought it up at one of my state level meetings equivalent to your local early learning hub/coalition meetings and people were excited... two jaws literally dropped! You too may want to inform your local early learning community about LearningExpress when appropriate--when they are discussing professional development, QRIS, etc.

Here are a few ways the people at my meetings think childcare providers might use LearningExpress:

  *   Many childcare providers have been out of school for a long time, they would likely use the tutorials to brush up on reading, writing, and math skills they haven't used in years.
  *   Practice tests for tests they have to take to enroll in college--SAT, ACT, COMPASS, GRE
  *   Microsoft Office tutorials to improve their skills for their current job and for their homework.
  *   GED preparation materials.
  *   US citizenship test practice
Attached are the handouts I passed out at my meeting. If you want to use them, then you will need to update the word document to specify how childcare providers can access LearningExpress from your library's website, currently it explains how to access it from Libraries of Oregon.
Also, I recommend waiting to promote it until after your library updates your link from LearningExpress 2.0 to Learning Express 3.0 so they don't get used to 2.0 right before it goes away.
Thanks,
Katie
Katie Anderson, Library Development Services
* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
katie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>, 503-378-2528
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/kids-lib/attachments/20140115/df1e30fc/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: QRIS December Report 2013.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 598155 bytes
Desc: QRIS December Report 2013.pdf
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/kids-lib/attachments/20140115/df1e30fc/attachment.pdf>