Newsletter
Oregon has invested in supporting positive adult-child interactions as a key component of quality early learning environments that can make a significant positive impact on children. In fact, two of the Learning and Development standards in Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) are devoted specifically to adult-child interaction.
Licensing rules are the first set of of QRIS standards. Licensed programs have regulations that address adult-child interactions, such as attending to the emotional needs of children and guidance and discipline. As programs create intentional quality improvements plans , they demonstrate their ability to meet more specific standards regarding adult-child interactions. For example, a 3-star program must show it has a written policy for adult-child interactions that specifically encourages adults to engage in frequent conversations with children, join children’s activities, use positive comments and encouragement with children, and acknowledge and validate children’s emotions. A 3-star program also musthave a written policy on behavior management that not only meets licensing regulations for guidance and discipline, but that encourages using clear expectations, proactive/preventive strategies, and redirection of misbehavior.
A 4-star level, programs’ policies shows the adults provide feedback on children’s ideas, comments, and work, expanding a child’s vocabulary and helping children to understand concepts, answer questions, or complete activities. A 4-star program provides direct instruction and support on children’s social skills, including empathy, self-regulation, and problem solving.
All QRIS programs receive on-site visits through the licensing process. For programs seeking a 5 Star rating, a trained and reliable observer completes the CLASS assessment or Environmental Rating Scale. Programs must meet specific scores as evidence of meeting to demonstrate high quality regarding adult-child interactions. The program receives specific feedback from the observation to support the programs continuous quality improvement.
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For more information about QRIS standards, see Oregon’s QRIS website!