Program Evaluation

Lil’ Bears believes that regular evaluations help ensure high quality childcare.  We use Quality Standards from the National Association for Family Childcare to assess our strengths and challenges in the key areas of Relationships, the Environment, Developmental Learning Activities, Safety and Health, and Professional and Business Practices.  

Annual evaluations are primarily conducted by Gloria, with input from families and through annual surveys on program quality.  These surveys, along with child assessment trends, are compiled and considered with the NAFCC Quality Standards.

In addition, the Head Start Program Performance Standards that apply to family childcare are used to determine compliance.  Other resources used to evaluate specific areas of the Lil’ Bears program include the Maine Quality Rating and Improvement System Inclusive Practices Checklist, and the Family Child Care Environment rating Scale (FCCERS). All these tools provide indicators of quality and best practice within scope of family childcare.

Evaluation results are analyzed to determine compliance with programs and areas for improvement.  A Quality Improvement Plan is created using the data collected, including a timeline for changes and resources needed.  The Plan is shared with families, minus the timeline and resource information, on our communication bulletin board.