§ 42-12-23.1 - Quality of early care and education and school-age child care through voluntary quality rating system.
SECTION 42-12-23.1
§ 42-12-23.1 Quality of early care andeducation and school-age child care through voluntary quality rating system.– (a) There is hereby established a voluntary quality rating system which willassess quality in early care and education programs and school-age child care.For purposes of this section, early care and education programs and school-agechild care shall mean programs licensed under chapter 72.1, title 42 andapproved under chapter 48, title 16, including without limitation child carecenters, family child care homes, group family child care homes, school-agechild care programs and preschools, but excluding child placement agencies. Thevoluntary quality rating system is established to promote continuous qualityimprovement of programs and to further the goals of Rhode Island's "startingright" initiative.
(b) The department of human services, the department ofchildren, youth and families, the department of health, the department ofelementary and secondary education and other partners and agencies shall shareinformation and work cooperatively with the Rhode Island quality rating system,a public-private partnership, to ensure that Rhode Island children have accessto quality early care and education programs and school-age child care.
(c) The voluntary quality rating system shall also provide amechanism to gather data about program quality, and shall report thisinformation to parents, providers and other persons interested in the qualityof early care and education programs and school-age child care services inRhode Island.