Realize Your Potential

The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood’s Quality Improvement System is a research-based approach designed to help preschools and family child care owners advance their own goals for improvement and elevate the overall quality of early childhood offerings in Cambridge.

Our comprehensive and wrap-around approach aims to increase the Massachusetts Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) designation for participating preschools and family child care providers through:

• Coaching: Coaches draw on their own direct service experience and knowledge of the field to support programs through classroom observations, modeling, co-facilitating, followed by reflective team discussions. 
  
  
• Professional Development: college courses, workshop series, and city-wide trainings for all those who work with young children and their families
  
  
• Program Improvement Funds: Sites receive funds to purchase high quality materials and furniture that will help them increase their QRIS rating. Through pooled purchasing, major discounts give these funds added value.
  
  
• Communities of Practice (CoPs): CoPs provide directors, lead teachers, and teachers with the opportunity to meet with peers, share experiences, and explore best practices
  
  
• Community Resources: Organized outings are developed for members to visit and learn about local resources available to their programs

To be eligible for PQRIS benefits, providers must be

• licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care
• located in Cambridge
• interested in having a guide to explore possibilities
• aware of the time commitment
• excited to be part of this project!

More Details:

• Center-Based Program Quality Improvement 
• Family Child Care Program Quality Improvement
• Communities of Practice Fact Sheet