Quality Counts California

Quality Counts California is a statewide, locally implemented quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) that funds and provides guidance to local and regional agencies, and other quality partners, to enhance their support of early learning and care providers. Quality Counts California helps these agencies improve the quality of early learning and care programs, and informs parents and families on what quality looks like and why it is important for young children.

Quality Counts California is a collaboration between First 5 California and the California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division, and is implemented at the county or regional level through a locally operated QRIS. Using a common set of early learning and care program standards, and general guidance developed collaboratively through a state and local partnership, each QRIS engages and supports voluntary participation of programs in its own geographic area.

For more information, or to access resources that were previously available on this website, please go to the Quality Counts California website at qualitycountsca.net.

IMPACT Legacy

On October 27, 2022, the First 5 California Children and Families Commission approved up to $125,828,000 for IMPACT Legacy, a comprehensive, statewide effort to enhance the quality of early learning and care (ELC) environments, with a focus on addressing the needs of the whole child, including health, child development, and family strengthening.

IMPACT Legacy is designed to strengthen and advance the ELC system and engage programs and early educators in Quality Counts California (QCC), the state’s quality improvement system. IMPACT Legacy aligns with funding from the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Block Grants, including on-going policy collaboration with CDE, CDSS, and other partners. As the state’s system is refined and functions shift toward sustainability, IMPACT Legacy fosters a sound infrastructure to leverage other funding sources and take QCC into the future.

For additional information, please see the IMPACT Legacy Request for Applications below. Questions regarding IMPACT Legacy can be sent to IMPACT@first5.ca.gov

IMPACT Legacy RFA and supporting documents

Additional QRIS Resources

PD2GO (Professional Development 2 Go) is a collection of professional development designed in individual, easy-to-use 15-minute "packs" focusing on continuous quality improvement in early learning programs. PD2GO packs are organized in three comprehensive learning strands: Systems Thinking, Intentional Interactions in Teaching, and Effective Assessment. They create a foundation for weaving in additional quality improvement topics such as family engagement, dual language learning, and coaching in early learning.

For more information, visit the PD2GO page.