The San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative (SDQPI) is an individualized approach to improvement through a variety of supports for all Birth to 5 early education programs. It is the San Diego County version of the State of California’s quality system for birth-5 settings: Quality Counts California (QCC). All providers are invited to participate in program enhancement focused on site needs, quality and overarching improvement. SDQPI seeks to provide adult-centered support to those who lead the site and provide guidance to staff who directly engage with children, to ensure that systematic change occurs. The focus of all SDQPI efforts aligns with the three domains established by Quality Counts California (QCC): 1) Child Development and School Readiness, 2) Teachers and Teaching and 3) Program and Program Environment.

San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative engages a variety of birth to 5 program types in its Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), including center-based preschools and infant/toddler programs as well as family child care homes. Participating in Quality Improvement means that all early learning and care providers are given individualized support tailored to the needs of the site and the site leader, focused on how to support staff working directly with children to continually enhance and improve adult-child learning and development interactions and opportunities, maximizing each child’s potential. Providers may also select to participate in Rating activities to obtain a 1-5 Tiered rating that indicates the level of quality offered at the site. The System in QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement System) involves engagement in both, Quality and Rating activities, focused on Improvements. SDQPI helps providers keep up to date with “best practices” in early learning and identify areas for continued improvement through Quality Improvement Plans.

Through the decades of programming, the San Diego Early Education Community has sought to participate in, create and provide guidance to create the highest quality of early learning and care programs. The San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative (SDQPI), funded by Quality Counts California (QCC) and First 5 San Diego, is focused on continuous quality improvement, enhancing the development and learning trajectory of children from Birth to age 5, contributing to the health and well-being of every child.

SDQPI, operated by SDCOE, is collaboratively led by the following state mandated Quality Counts California (QCC) Consortium representatives: First 5 San Diego, Resource and Referral Agency (R&R), Alternative Payment Program (APP), Community Care Licensing (CCL), the County Office of Education (SDCOE), Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), the Local Child Care and Development Planning Council (LPC), Foster Bridge Program, and a representative from local Native American Tribes. QCC Consortium representatives, individually and collectively, participate in state, county and local policy decision-making processes that continue to provide input and direction to the programs provided .

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