Personalized support. Expert guidance.
When you first enroll in Quality First, you’ll be assigned a coach who is an expert in early childhood development and a coordinator to support you and your team. Through regular visits, ongoing communication and technical assistance, they will provide support that’s personalized to your program.
“As an in-home provider, it’s just having another layer of people that I can turn to and help me to feel not so isolated.”
– Family Child Care Provider,
Participant since 2016
The Role of a Quality First Coordinator:
Your coordinator is your first point of contact in Quality First. You’ll receive orientation, onboarding and participation support from your Quality First Coordinator. Whether you are new to Quality First or have new staff, a coordinator is here to help the newcomers participate.
- Orientation and onboarding to Quality First
- Participation support
- Help finding other resources for your program, staff, children and families
The Role of a Quality First Coach
Serving as your primary advisor towards quality care, your coach is an expert in early childhood development and will be with you every step of the way. They give encouragement, answer questions and offer advice in the areas you want to improve.
You will receive on-site coaching visits to support your improvement efforts. You have the option to schedule these visits as needed. Once your coach has visited your program and met your staff, they’ll begin to learn about your vision for quality.
Sometimes, making your program the best it can be requires extra help. Reach out to your coach when you need their support! They are your partner—the person who will help you set improvement goals that you can count on to help meet your goals.
Creating a plan for improvement
You will be led through an initial assessment. This provides a clear picture of your program—what is going well and where are opportunities for improvement. You’ll review data about your program’s practices and create a plan with steps to help you reach your goals for your program. Then your program will be placed in one of the three levels of support.
Encouraging progress
Quality First coaches have knowledge and experience in the field of early childhood education, early learning standards and developmental guidelines. They’ll visit your program to work one-on-one with teachers, giving you a chance to learn new skills and put them into practice with expert guidance. Coaching visits may include, but are not limited to, meeting with the program director for planning and reviewing progress, observing and modeling daily practices, providing feedback and opportunities for reflection and supplying resource materials.
6 Tips to Make the Most of Coaching
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Introduce staff and volunteers to the coach
This introduction will help to establish a comfort level for coaching activities, introducing the children to the coach as well reducing any stranger anxieties.
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Notify families
Let families know that your program is participating in Quality First and that you will have visits from a coach. Families will appreciate knowing how these efforts can benefit their children.
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Establish communication preferences
Talk with your coach about the type of communication that works best for you. If you prefer to meet at a certain time or would appreciate phone calls, emails or text messages between visits, let them know.
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Plan ahead for coaching visits
Having any questions, needs or clarifications ready will save time during meetings so that you and your coach can work on planned activities.
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Communicate regularly with your coach
Talk to your coach about your preferences for support, your plans for change and how to involve staff. If you’re unsure about how a strategy is working or if you want to try something different, let your coach know. You and your coach can modify plans to meet your needs.
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Plan to sustain improvements
Identify who will be in charge, how new practices will be included in staff training and what policies should be updated.
“The relationship I have with my Quality First coach is a very positive one, very supportive. Just being someone that we know is there in case we have questions or if we need to work through something.”
– Teacher, Participant since 2017
Apply Now
Participation in Quality First is free. Apply now to get the support you need to make your program the best it can be.
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