Quality Programs - Joint Initiatives

Quality Programs

Early childhood education gives children a strong start and builds a foundation for learning that will have an impact on their readiness for kindergarten, as well as overall success in school. JI’s Foundations team is here to support programs with creating the quality environments for children. This includes assistance with navigating the Colorado Shines ratings process, applying for available grant funding, and coaching.

Colorado Shines

Colorado Shines is a way to improve the quality at your program, including early childhood centers and family child care homes.  Additionally, it is a way for families to find quality early childhood programs that meet their individual child care needs.

Visit ColoradoShines.com

  • Level 1: These programs are licensed by the State of Colorado and meet basic health and safety standards. IREE, the local Licensing entity supports centers with Level 1 needs. To learn more, visit the IREE website.
  • Level 2: These programs meet the requirements of Level 1 and are taking specific steps to improve their quality, like completing additional training courses and developing a Quality Improvement Plan.
  • Level 3-5: These quality programs are evaluated using 5 rating categories.  Not all high quality programs look the same; one may focus on providing training for their staff, while another may invest in a stronger learning environment.

We are committed to providing training and technical assistance to help your program reach its Colorado Shines rating goals.

There are other ways that programs can improve their quality that are called “Crosswalks” or “Alternative Pathways.”  These are ratings that have been given an equivalent in the Colorado Shines rating system (e.g., NAFCC, NAEYC) and include pathways for school districts with preschool programs.

If you are interested in accessing supports to reach the next level in Colorado Shines, contact Shay Almonte, Foundations Program Director, to discuss available options for your program.

quality programming

RESOURCES

Please check back for upcoming grant opportunities.

NEW TO COLORADO SHINES?

Is your early childhood program new to Colorado Shines? Are you an early childhood professional who needs assistance with where to start? Your Foundations team at Joint Initiatives is here to help. Please reach out to our Foundations Outreach Specialist, Ashley Pomales, or our Foundations Early Childhood Manager, Brittany Hasenbalg, for more information.

COLORADO SHINES RATINGS

Make sure you’re ready for your Colorado Shines Rating! Take advantage of the resources provided through Clayton Early Learning to get all of your questions answered by the experts who conduct your observations. For details about their Q & A sessions, click HERE. This link also includes previously recorded content for viewing at your convenience. Please note, all programs currently in the scheduling queue will be assigned a rating month. Please remember to submit your applications for the rating at least two months before your expiration. If you have any questions, contact your Foundations Coach or Ashley Pomales to find out more. 

Need more information, subscribe to the PD Update or visit ColoradoShines.com.

The Department of Early Childhood’s Provider Hub is your access point to the QRIS Portal, Licensing, the CCCAP Attendance Tracking System (ATS), and the PDIS, as well as where you will update your operational status. 

🔗 Learn more here.

Learn more about ratings and QRIS HERE. If your rating decreases, so does your reimbursement rate for CCCAP. Don’t let your rating expire!

For technical assistance with navigating the rating process or to celebrate your rating results, email SAlmonte@jointinitiatives.org.

🔗 View alternative pathways HERE.

The PDIS is the statewide system that provides training and tracks the required qualifications and voluntary credentials of early childhood professionals. Review the PDIS Fact Sheet and FAQ for PDIS for full details.

Necesitas guías practicas de como navegar el PDIS?

Otros enlaces útiles:

Se ha ampliado el plazo para descargar documentos de la OLD PDIS

Si necesita ayuda con una consulta o cuenta específica, comuníquese con el servicio de asistencia de PDIS de Colorado Shines al: 1-844-447-4441 o correo electrónico: cdhs_pdishelp@state.co.us
o envíe un correo electrónico a Denise Raygoza: raygoza_d@cde.state.co.us

For more information click HERE and subscribe to our PD Update.

Eligible school district programs may apply to be included in Levels 3 and 4 based on their submitted crosswalk data. Programs wishing to pursue a Level 5 must apply to be rated by a qualified Colorado Shines assessor by submitting an application to be evaluated. Click Application + Instructions for details.

Coaching

Foundations/Alliance for Kids did a study with a group of EQIT participants who received coaching. These were teachers, family child care providers, and directors just like you. On average, 95% of participants in the study reported an increase in competence and confidence, their ability to build relationships with children, their sense of professionalism, and their job satisfaction. Everyone wants to have a fulfilling job that they are great at, and coaches can come along beside you can help get you there!

Coaching + REflective Supervision

Coaching is…

  • A safe space to reflect on your work and grow as a professional
  • Focused on strengths you have and how to build on those
  • Talking about challenges you face in your workplace and brainstorm positive solutions
  • Personalized to your work environment, style of teaching, and areas of interest
  • A way to increase and/or maintain quality programming for the children in your classroom

What coaching can do for your profession:

  • Earn points on the Professional Development Information System (PDIS)
  • Just one coaching observation can earn you up to 10 points toward your professional credential!
  • Earn Points on Colorado Shines for your center!

Director and Classroom Coaches will provide you with the Practice-Based Coaching necessary to reach your Quality Improvement goals by:

  1. Planning goals and action steps that make sense for your program.
  2. Engaging in focused observation.
  3. Reflecting on and sharing feedback about teaching or administrative practices.

Colorado Shines Quality Improvement grant funds may be used for coaching.

In addition to the 48 hours of direct EQIT class time, infant and toddler participants may receive hands-on, on-site coaching using the EQIT RELATE Coaching Model.  The EQIT coach is trained in strengths-based coaching and spends time with participants to help them identify all the things they do well and helps them implement the new ideas learned in EQIT classes into their everyday work with infants and toddlers.

Infant and toddler participants may receive a minimum of five hours of coaching, however, additional coaching may be requested. Completing eight or more hours of coaching allows participants to receive two points towards the Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0 in the Professional Information System (PDIS).  EQIT course graduates may continue working with their EQIT coach for up to one year following the training, pending availability of funded coaching hours.

For more information on EQIT coaching, contact Erica Evans at EEvans@jointinitiatives.org.

Foundations offers the following coaching packages for a fee.

  • CLASS Coaching – Classroom
  • CLASS Coaching – Individual Professional Development
  • ERS for a Classroom
  • ERS for Individual Professional Development
  • Colorado Shines Rating Preparation
  • Other

We accept payments for coaching using PayPal – no account needed.

Are you a coach in El Paso County that is in need of Reflective Supervision? Please submit an email using our Contact Us Form to find out more about local opportunities to engage in this professional development for coaches.

An early childhood coach is a professional who works directly with early childhood educators — including teachers, infant and toddler early care and learning providers, supervisors and directors— to build capacity for continuous quality improvement. As stated by the Colorado Coaching Consortium in the Colorado Coaching Competencies, “Coaching is a learning process based on a collaborative relationship that is intentionally designed to promote sustainable growth in the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to effectively implement the best practices for the development of young children and their families (2009).” 
 
Complete information regarding becoming a credentialed coach can be found on PDIS – HERE.
Dynamic Coaching Systems in collaboration with the University of Colorado at Denver offers a program for earning a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Coaching! The certificate program provides experiential learning in best coaching practices for teacher-leaders, coaches, directors, principals, home child care providers, early interventionists, special education staff, or anyone looking to enhance their coaching skills. To learn more, click HERE.

MORE program resources

$100 INCENTIVE FOR NEW CCCAP CONTRACT

Joint Initiatives is providing a $100.00 incentive for licensed programs that obtain an active Colorado Child Care Assistance Program fiscal agreement with the El Paso County Department of Human Services. To be eligible for this incentive opportunity, programs must contact Ashley Pomales, JI’s Foundations Outreach Specialist, for assistance.

Do you need some extra support with CCCAP?

The State CCCAP Team is offering monthly support sessions for early childhood providers on the 4th Wednesday of the month from 12–12:45 pm. Sessions include CCCAP updates, Attendance Tracking System overview and demonstration, and time for Q+A.

Join the sessions via Google Meet HERE

or dial 561.614.0668 (PIN: ‪240 371 957#)

CCCAP PROVIDER BASICS COURSE

One-hour, self-paced eLearning course, CCCAP Provider Basics, published on the Professional Development Information System (PDIS).

CCCAP QUESTIONS

Email DHSCCProvider@elpasoco.com to get your need addressed.

Universal Preschool Program providers are invited to participate in the Healthy Universal Preschool Collaborative, an 18-month project to support UPP programs in meeting the new UPP Healthy Development Quality Standards, specifically those focused on oral health. If interested, please review the UPP Flyer HERE and fill out this quick survey.

🔗 Take Survey HERE

CACFP provides reimbursement for healthy meals and snacks served to Colorado’s children and adults in child care centers and homes, afterschool programs, emergency and homeless shelters, Head Start, Early Head Start and outside-school-hours programs and adult day care centers. Did you know that ALL family childcare homes are eligible for CACFP? Learn more HERE. Read more about CACFP for programs of all types and get resources in other languages on the CACFP website.

Check out their updated brochures in English and Spanish:

SIGN UP FOR RESOURCES FROM TEACHCOLORADO.ORG

Considering a career in early childhood education? We’ve got you covered. Our partners at TEACH Colorado will help you get started with confidence. Visit TeachColorado.org to learn more or sign up HERE for free access to: 

  • 1-on-1 advising from experts
  • Monthly group advising webinars to help you take the next step
  • Multilingual how-to guides 
  • Fee reimbursements, scholarships, and more!

Project Include is available in El Paso County!  Project Include provides training, support, and equipment to assist licensed Colorado family child care homes, child care centers, and preschools in developing learning environments and curriculums that are more inclusive for all children, including those with delays and disabilities. 

🔗 Learn more HERE. 

🔗 To borrow a Universal Design + Inclusion Kit from Joint Initiatives, click HERE.

ZERO TO THREE is introducing an innovative tool — the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Consultation Cost Calculator. ZERO TO THREE’s interactive, web-based calculator is designed to support mental health professionals, early childhood educators, program leaders and policymakers in planning and budgeting for mental health consultation services. 

🔗 Learn more HERE.

STay up to date with Early Childhood News!

Subscribe to our newsletters