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Projects Using the PAS
The Program Administration Scale (PAS) is being used to measure and improve the administrative practices of center-based early childhood programs participating in quality improvement initiatives across the United States. Collected here are descriptions and contact information for many of these quality initiatives. The information has been provided by the projects themselves. The entries are divided into four categories: Research and Evaluation, Quality Rating Systems, Technical Assistance and Mentoring, and Director Credentialing.
Child Care Work Environments: The Relationship with
Learning Environments
+ view description
This study, published in the Winter 2007 issue of the Journal of Research
in Childhood Education, explored the relationship between child care
program administration, organizational climate, and global quality.
The PAS was used to measure the quality of administrative practices.
The Early Childhood Work Environment Survey (ECWES) was used
to measure organizational climate. The Environment Rating Scales were
used to measure global classroom quality. Both program administration
and organizational climate were found to be positively correlated with
preschool classroom global quality. There was also a significant relationship
between organizational climate and a language/interaction factor of
the ECERS-R. The level of education of the director was related to
higher quality administrative practices and not-for-profit centers
scored significantly better than for-profit centers did on the PAS.
Additionally, a statistically significant relationship between the
PAS and the Parents and Staff subscale of the ITERS-R and ECERS-R was
found. For more information contact:
Joanna K. Lower or Deborah Cassidy
Human Development and Family Studies
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
phone: (336) 256-0099
email: jkhansen@uncg.edu
Joanna K. Lower or Deborah Cassidy
Human Development and Family Studies
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
phone: (336) 256-0099
email: jkhansen@uncg.edu
Evaluation of McCormick Tribune Foundation Professional Development Initiative
+ view description
As part of a professional development initiative, the McCormick Tribune
Center for Early Childhood Leadership collected pre- and posttest
data (2002 and 2006) on the quality of early care and education
programs at ten centers affiliated with social service agencies
in Chicago. The evaluation included measures of classroom quality,
caregiver interactions, organizational climate, and program management
and leadership. The Program Administration
Scale was used to assess the quality of administrative practices.
The baseline data collected were used to create a profile of the child
care programs to inform and guide quality improvements efforts. The
Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) at Loyola University
was the fiscal agent for the project and provided technical assistance
to the ten agency-affiliated child care centers. For more information
contact:
Teri Talan, J.D., Ed.D.
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5060
email: teri.talan@nl.edu
Teri Talan, J.D., Ed.D.
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5060
email: teri.talan@nl.edu
Evaluation of Illinois Great START and T.E.A.C.H.
+ view description
In 2005-06, the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
conducted an evaluation study for the Illinois Department of Human
Services (IDHS) of the state’s Great START and T.E.A.C.H. Early
Childhood® professional development
initiatives. The purpose of the research was to examine the program
characteristics associated with utilization of these statewide professional
development funds. The Program Administration Scale (PAS)
was used to measure the quality of leadership and management practices
at all sites. The results of this study are summarized in the Center’s Spring
2007 Research Note. For more information contact:
Teri Talan, J.D., Ed.D.
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5060
email: teri.talan@nl.edu
Teri Talan, J.D., Ed.D.
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5060
email: teri.talan@nl.edu
CYS Program Quality Evaluation
+ view description
This project was designed
to support the City of Chicago’s Department of Children & Youth
Services (CYS) in its technical assistance efforts with Head Start
and child care programs. The McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood
Leadership provided training for 50 CYS technical assistance specialists
on how the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale—Revised (ECERS-R)
and the Program Administration Scale (PAS) can be used to
support program improvements at the classroom and organizational level.
In addition to the training for technical assistance specialists, the Center provided one day of training for 400 CYS center directors to acquaint them with the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale—Revised and the Program Administration Scale, the documentation they needed to prepare for their on-site PAS assessment, and how they might use the ECERS-R and PAS profiles to improve classroom teaching practices and strengthen the leadership and management practices of their programs.
The Center then conducted organizational assessments using the PAS at 250 CYS Head Start programs and classroom observations of 550 CYS Head Start classrooms using the ECERS-R. Center profiles generated from the PAS data and individual classroom profiles generated from the ECERS-R data were given to both the center directors and the CYS technical assistance specialists. The goal of this project was to yield information to help directors develop individualized professional development plans for their teaching staff and implement strategies to improve administrative practices at the organizational level. For more information contact:
Teri Talan, J.D., Ed.D.
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5060
email: teri.talan@nl.edu
In addition to the training for technical assistance specialists, the Center provided one day of training for 400 CYS center directors to acquaint them with the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale—Revised and the Program Administration Scale, the documentation they needed to prepare for their on-site PAS assessment, and how they might use the ECERS-R and PAS profiles to improve classroom teaching practices and strengthen the leadership and management practices of their programs.
The Center then conducted organizational assessments using the PAS at 250 CYS Head Start programs and classroom observations of 550 CYS Head Start classrooms using the ECERS-R. Center profiles generated from the PAS data and individual classroom profiles generated from the ECERS-R data were given to both the center directors and the CYS technical assistance specialists. The goal of this project was to yield information to help directors develop individualized professional development plans for their teaching staff and implement strategies to improve administrative practices at the organizational level. For more information contact:
Teri Talan, J.D., Ed.D.
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5060
email: teri.talan@nl.edu
Evaluation of Arkansas Professional Development System
+ view description
Through funding from Arkansas Department of Human Services/Division of
Child Care and Early Childhood Education, the Arkansas State University
Childhood Services provides training and technical assistance to support
the state’s early care and education workforce. As part of these efforts,
ASU Childhood Services offers training for directors and for technical assistance
specialists using the Program Administration Scale (PAS).
An evaluation of Arkansas’ professional development support system was conducted by KeyStone Research Corporation using the PAS as one reliable and valid tool to measure the quality of centers that had received professional development support through ASU Childhood Services. For more information contact:
Diana Courson, Program Coordinator
Arkansas State University Childhood Services
phone: (870) 234-2253
email: dianacourson@sbcglobal.net
Joyce Ann Miller, Ph.D., President
KeyStone Research Corporation
phone: (814) 836-9295
An evaluation of Arkansas’ professional development support system was conducted by KeyStone Research Corporation using the PAS as one reliable and valid tool to measure the quality of centers that had received professional development support through ASU Childhood Services. For more information contact:
Diana Courson, Program Coordinator
Arkansas State University Childhood Services
phone: (870) 234-2253
email: dianacourson@sbcglobal.net
Joyce Ann Miller, Ph.D., President
KeyStone Research Corporation
phone: (814) 836-9295
Step Up to Quality, Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral
Agencies and Ohio Division of Employment Services
+ view description
Step Up to Quality (SUTQ)
is a voluntary, 3-star quality rating system for early childhood programs
licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. It recognizes
three progressively higher levels of program quality building on the
foundation of Ohio’s health and safety licensing requirements
and provides supports and awards to assist programs achieve and maintain
a star rating. SUTQ uses research-based benchmarks, including administrative
practices geared to retaining highly qualified staff, to determine
the Quality Achievement Awards. The Program Administration Scale is
used at all star levels to benchmark the quality of administrative
practices and to support on-going program improvement efforts. For more
information visit www.stepuptoquality.org.
Quality Counts: Quality Rating System, Illinois Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
+ view description
Illinois Quality Counts:
Quality Rating System (QRS) is a voluntary system to improve the quality
of early care and education programs serving children funded by the
state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Administered by
Illinois Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA), the goal
of QRS is to increase the number of high-quality child care settings
available to low-income families. For licensed providers of child care,
QRS has four progressive Star Levels that build upon licensing standards
and extend to meeting accreditation standards plus achievement of benchmarks
of quality on the environment rating scales and either the Program
Administration Scale (PAS) for center-based programs or the Business
Administration Scale for Family Child Care (BAS). A quality add-on
rate (ranging from 5% to 20%) helps providers pay for the higher cost
of quality care. For centers, achieving a certain score on the Program
Administration Scale is a required component of the QRS at Star
Level 3 and 4. A PAS assessment conducted by a certified PAS assessor
occurs only after the center administrator attends “Getting Ready
for the PAS” training. For more information visit
www.ilchildcare.org or contact:
Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA)
phone: (866) 697-8278
Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA)
phone: (866) 697-8278
Technical Assistance and Mentoring
Directors Leadership Academy
+ view description
The Directors Leadership Academy is offered to administrators of child
care programs residing in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina by Child Care
Resources, Inc., a Resource and Referral Agency. The goal of the Leadership Academy
is to inform administrators of best practices in program administration
and provode technical assistance in achieveing goals; provide intensive
training on the Program Administration Scale (PAS) to guide
program improvements; and to support peer mentoring relationships among administrators.
As part of the Academy all centers are informally assessed using the PAS. The results of the assessment are used to guide the administrators in selecting five areas of improvement. Technical assistance provided by specialists is centered on these areas. One goal of the project is to create a network of administrators who can call on each other for support and advice. Peers are asked to meet in small groups two times each month to review goals on their improvement plans. In addition, monthly opportunities for advanced level trainings on topics related to administration are available. For more information contact:
Jaime Rechkemmer
Child Care Resources, Inc.
4601 Park Road, Suite 500
Charlotte, NC 28209
phone: (704) 376-6697, ext. 203
As part of the Academy all centers are informally assessed using the PAS. The results of the assessment are used to guide the administrators in selecting five areas of improvement. Technical assistance provided by specialists is centered on these areas. One goal of the project is to create a network of administrators who can call on each other for support and advice. Peers are asked to meet in small groups two times each month to review goals on their improvement plans. In addition, monthly opportunities for advanced level trainings on topics related to administration are available. For more information contact:
Jaime Rechkemmer
Child Care Resources, Inc.
4601 Park Road, Suite 500
Charlotte, NC 28209
phone: (704) 376-6697, ext. 203
Early to Learn, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
+ view description
United Way of Southeastern
Pennsylvania was the lead agency and fiscal agent for Early to Learn: Partners
for School Readiness (E2L), a five-year, $17.5 million, initiative.
This project began in 2002 to address the needs of low-income children
in the Philadelphia area. For the first three years, child care centers
engaged in quality improvement efforts focused on the classroom learning
environments. Centers were each given $30,000 for equipment, furniture,
and supplies, as well as four hours of technical assistance per week.
In the final two years of the Early to Learn Initiative, the charge
shifted to implementing sustainability strategies. The Program
Administration Scale (PAS) was used as a tool to help center administrators
sustain the classroom improvements made. PAS assessments were conducted
by assessors trained to reliability from St. Joe’s University.
Directors received technical assistance from four different mentoring
agencies based on their PAS assessments. In addition, directors received
a stipend to make changes and to encourage their participation in eight
monthly trainings based on different components of the PAS. For more
information visit www.uwsepa.org or contact:
Suzanna J. O'Connor, Program Manager
United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
phone: (215) 665-2453
email: suzanneo@uwsepa.org
Suzanna J. O'Connor, Program Manager
United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
phone: (215) 665-2453
email: suzanneo@uwsepa.org
California Director Mentor Project
+ view description
The California Director
Mentor Project is a part of the California Early Childhood Mentoring
Program, the largest mentoring program for child care professionals
in the U.S. and one that links improved compensation with the mentor’s
professional development. Since 1988 the program has provided advanced
training for experienced child care practitioners who wish to become mentors
to new practitioners.
Following completion of an initial course in mentoring, interested candidates make formal application to a local Mentor Selection Committee. Those who are selected as Director Mentors are paid stipends for guiding and offering practical help to less experienced (“protégé”) directors or site supervisors. Selection of the director mentors is based on their professional qualifications, the candidates’ self assessment using the Program Administration Scale (PAS), and an interview with the Mentor Selection Committee at which the candidate discusses how the PAS might be used to help other directors improve the quality of their administrative practices. Once selected, the Director Mentors use the PAS as a resource in their work supporting less experienced directors. For more information visit www.ecementor.org or contact:
Linda Olivenbaum, Director
CA Early Childhood Mentor Program
phone: (415) 452-5603
email: lolivenb@ccsf.edu
Following completion of an initial course in mentoring, interested candidates make formal application to a local Mentor Selection Committee. Those who are selected as Director Mentors are paid stipends for guiding and offering practical help to less experienced (“protégé”) directors or site supervisors. Selection of the director mentors is based on their professional qualifications, the candidates’ self assessment using the Program Administration Scale (PAS), and an interview with the Mentor Selection Committee at which the candidate discusses how the PAS might be used to help other directors improve the quality of their administrative practices. Once selected, the Director Mentors use the PAS as a resource in their work supporting less experienced directors. For more information visit www.ecementor.org or contact:
Linda Olivenbaum, Director
CA Early Childhood Mentor Program
phone: (415) 452-5603
email: lolivenb@ccsf.edu
Quality Maintenance Program—Smart Start of Davidson County, NC
+ view description
Smart Start of Davidson County uses the Program Administration Scale
(PAS) as a technical assistance tool in its Quality Maintenance Program.
This program provides maintenance funds to 4 & 5 star licensed child
care centers to assist them in sustaining their rated license and maintaining
their quality. Smart Start of Davidson County found the benefits of
using the PAS in the Quality Maintenance Program are: 1) Focus on the
administration of the program; 2) Framework for measuring early childhood
leadership and management; 3) Self-assessment by directors of strengths
and areas needing growth; 4) Defines the director’s role in supporting
quality; and 5) Measures outcomes for the Quality Maintenance Program.
For more information contact:
Mary Draughn
Davidson County Partnership for Children
phone: (336) 249-6688
email: maryd@partnershipforchildren.org
Mary Draughn
Davidson County Partnership for Children
phone: (336) 249-6688
email: maryd@partnershipforchildren.org
Quality New York Accreditation Facilitation Project
+ view description
Quality New York (QNY) assists New York City early care and education programs in improving
teaching and administrative practices in order to reach the high-quality
national standards established by the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC). QNY, a collaboration between Bank
Street College of Education, Child Care Inc., and the Federation of
Protestant Welfare Agencies, uses the NAEYC self-study and accreditation
process as a guide for child care, Early Head Start, Head Start and
private early education programs to improve. As an accreditation facilitation
project, QNY helps program staff, parents and public officials better
understand the value of program standards and working together toward
NAEYC accreditation as a process of continuous quality improvement
QNY’s accreditation facilitation begins with assessments using
the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised (ECERS-R)
or the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale, Revised (ITERS-R)
for classroom practices and the Program Administration Scale (PAS)
for administrative practices. For more information contact:
Early Childhood Accreditation
Quality New York
phone: (212) 801-1319
Early Childhood Accreditation
Quality New York
phone: (212) 801-1319
Technical Assistance Credentialing Pilot—Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
+ view description
Frank Porter Graham
Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill and the North Carolina Office of School Readiness are offering
a set of courses that provide professional development for technical
assistance specialists in North Carolina. North Carolina’s
revised, two component rated license system places greater emphasis
than ever before on promoting sustainable improvement in child care
program quality. The role of North Carolina’s child care
technical assistance workforce is critical in helping facilities maintain
their current star ratings and achieve higher ratings. To enhance the
skills and knowledge base of this valuable resource pool, a course
on the Program Administration Scale (PAS) in addition to courses
designed specifically for technical assistance specialists on the Early
Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R), the Infant Toddler
Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ITERS-R), and the Family
Child Care Environment Rating Scale-Revised (FCCERS-R) and NC
Early Learning Standards (Foundations II) is provided. To document
successful completion of coursework, records of student participation
and grade (pass/fail) is maintained, so that information is accessible for
future use. For more information contact:
Cathy Riley
FPG Child Development Institute
phone: (919) 962-7355
email: cathy_riley@unc.edu
Cathy Riley
FPG Child Development Institute
phone: (919) 962-7355
email: cathy_riley@unc.edu
Supporting Directors as the Gatekeepers to Quality
+ view description
In 2008, the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership and
the Grand Victoria Foundation joined forces to create a professional growth
opportunity for a select group of early childhood leaders from across the state
of Illinois. Supporting Directors as the Gatekeepers to Quality was
designed to provide training and technical assistance for 15 early
childhood leaders in Illinois in how to use the Program Adminstration
Scale (PAS) to support center directors in improving the administrative
practices of their early childhood programs. As part of the project,
technical assistace specialists participated in the four-day PAS Assessor
Reliability Training. Following the training, they conducted two PAS
assessments and submitted the assessments to become Certified PAS Assessors.
Several months after the initial training, the technical assistance
specialists met again for two days of follow-up training. The follow-up
training focused on clarifying information on the administration of
the PAS. In addition, participants learned characteristics of effective
coaches, how to establish rapport and align goals, useful ideas for
supporting directors in different developmental stages, and how to promote
professional competence.
A main goal of the grant was to create a cadre of technical assistance specialists from around the state to assist directors in preparing for their Quality Rating System (QRS) PAS assessment and understanding how to make improvements to their administrative practices once they received their QRS report. For more information contact:
Jill Bella, Director of Special Projects
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5059
email: jill.bella@nl.edu
A main goal of the grant was to create a cadre of technical assistance specialists from around the state to assist directors in preparing for their Quality Rating System (QRS) PAS assessment and understanding how to make improvements to their administrative practices once they received their QRS report. For more information contact:
Jill Bella, Director of Special Projects
McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University
phone: (800) 443-5522, ext. 5059
email: jill.bella@nl.edu
Missouri Director Credentialing Pilot
+ view description
Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Kansas City, Missouri, was awarded in
2005 an Early Learning Opportunities Act (ELOA) grant by the United States Department
of Health and Human Services. A component of the ELOA grant was to
determine the impact of participation in a Program Administration
Scale (PAS) pilot project on program quality as measured through
the Quality Rating System. While forty program directors participated
in a day-long training on the PAS, 10 programs participating in Greater
Kansas City’s QRS also were selected to have their program assessed
using the PAS. While the sample size is small, there does appear to
be a relation between a program’s score on the PAS and their QRS rating.
Feedback received from directors of programs participating in the PAS pilot also is being used to inform the development of a Directors Credential for the states of Kansas and Missouri. For more information contact:
Nancy L. Mitchell, Program Manager
Mid-America Regional Council
Metropolitan Council on Early Learning
phone: (818) 701-8383
Feedback received from directors of programs participating in the PAS pilot also is being used to inform the development of a Directors Credential for the states of Kansas and Missouri. For more information contact:
Nancy L. Mitchell, Program Manager
Mid-America Regional Council
Metropolitan Council on Early Learning
phone: (818) 701-8383
Tennessee Administrator Credential
+ view description
The Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) at Tennessee State
University Center of Excellence for Learning Sciences has been piloting an
Administrator Credential for the Department of Human Services. Key components of
the credential are academic coursework and business management and
use of the Program Administration Scale (PAS).The PAS provides
a significant cornerstone as a tool for quality achievements and outcome
measures.
The initial pilot conducted in East Tennessee used the PAS as a self-assessment tool to examine the leadership and management practices of center-based and family child care. This pilot included monthly meetings and mentoring over 12 months. The second pilot was conducted in Middle Tennessee. Credential candidates participated in three business management courses over the period of one year with group meetings focusing on leadership and management topics as defined by the PAS. The PAS interview and documentation review was conducted at the end of the pilot. The third pilot of the credential used the PAS as an instrument to observe and reliably measure the leadership and management practices of center-based early childhood directors who were seeking the newly designed state administrator credential. Candidates for the credential developed a portfolio collection. Portfolio contents included sections relating to director early childhood education and administrative experience and knowledge. The initial assessment using the PAS provided information for goal setting by the director who was working toward the credential. Final assessment using the PAS provided a measure of goal attainment and the outcomes and improvements made during the credentialing process.
Ongoing feedback from participating directors and the pilot coordinators continue to shape the current and projected use of the PAS. Data will be collected and used to determine correlation between PAS scores, staff retention, and ECERS scores. For more information contact:
Dr. Linda A. Sitton, TECTA Site Coordinator
Austin Peay State University
phone: (931) 221-7308
The initial pilot conducted in East Tennessee used the PAS as a self-assessment tool to examine the leadership and management practices of center-based and family child care. This pilot included monthly meetings and mentoring over 12 months. The second pilot was conducted in Middle Tennessee. Credential candidates participated in three business management courses over the period of one year with group meetings focusing on leadership and management topics as defined by the PAS. The PAS interview and documentation review was conducted at the end of the pilot. The third pilot of the credential used the PAS as an instrument to observe and reliably measure the leadership and management practices of center-based early childhood directors who were seeking the newly designed state administrator credential. Candidates for the credential developed a portfolio collection. Portfolio contents included sections relating to director early childhood education and administrative experience and knowledge. The initial assessment using the PAS provided information for goal setting by the director who was working toward the credential. Final assessment using the PAS provided a measure of goal attainment and the outcomes and improvements made during the credentialing process.
Ongoing feedback from participating directors and the pilot coordinators continue to shape the current and projected use of the PAS. Data will be collected and used to determine correlation between PAS scores, staff retention, and ECERS scores. For more information contact:
Dr. Linda A. Sitton, TECTA Site Coordinator
Austin Peay State University
phone: (931) 221-7308
Washington Professional Administrator Credential
+ view description
The Wisconsin Professional Administrator Credential is attained by successfully
completing a sequence of six courses related to early childhood administration.
The Program Administration Scale (PAS) is used in the course on Operations
Management. Students read the PAS, work through each of the scales individually and
in groups, and then choose six items to score their own programs and develop a plan
for improvement. They often report that the PAS is their favorite part of the course—giving
them very specific goals to work with. For more information contact:
Pam Boulton, Director
Children's Center, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
phone: (414) 229-5384
email: boulton@uwm.edu
Pam Boulton, Director
Children's Center, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
phone: (414) 229-5384
email: boulton@uwm.edu
District of Columbia Director Credential
+ view description
The Institute for Early Childhood Leadership at the University of the District
of Columbia administers the Washington D.C. director credential. Key components
of the credential are academic coursework and business management and use of the
Program Administration Scale (PAS). The PAS is being used to both document
quality outcomes and surface areas in need of improvement. For more information contact:
Kathy McKeon
The Early Childhood Leadership Institute
University of the District of Columbia
1834 11th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
phone: (202) 986-1819
email: k3317@aol.com
Kathy McKeon
The Early Childhood Leadership Institute
University of the District of Columbia
1834 11th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
phone: (202) 986-1819
email: k3317@aol.com
