Stipend
ProgramProvides financial incentives for early education program directors and teaching staff and Family Resource Center staff in Santa Clara County to pursue professional development.
Rating
ProcessUses multiple criteria to rate early learning programs in order to ensure that children in California have access to high-quality programs so that they thrive in their early learning settings and succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
Quality
ImprovementCreates opportunities for early educators and administrators from across Santa Clara County to share expertise, learn from each other through Communities of Practice, and work together on quality improvement planning.
The Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
Santa Clara County is a participating county of the Bay Area QRIS Partnership, which is focused on building a coordinated approach to QRIS in the region. The Bay Area partnership is comprised of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties.
- 569early educators are engaged in professional development through the stipend program
- 152early education centers and family child care homes are rated sites
- 6362children enrolled in Quality Matters rated classrooms
About the WestEd E3 Institute
Along with administering the Quality Matters program for FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, the WestEd E3 Institute also collaborates with higher education institutions and promotes the California Statewide Professional Development Registry.