About Us

The North Carolina Rated License Assessment Project is a collaborative project between the NC Division of Child Development and other institutions of higher education across the state. NCRLAP's purpose is to conduct voluntary assessments for child care centers and homes attempting to earn three or more stars within the NC Star Rated License system.

The issuance of a NC Star Rated License is determined by the scores a child care facility attains in three separate areas: (1) Program Standards, (2) Staff Education Standards, and (3) Compliance History. Facilities can earn up to five points each in three areas and the Environment Rating Scale assessment helps determine the points earned in the Program Standards area.

How Quality is Assessed

Highly trained assessors seek to determine the quality of children's care and education using items found in one of the following four rating scales :

· Infant /Toddler Environment Rating Scale - birth to 30 months.
· Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (Revised) - 30 months to 5 years.
· Family Day Care Rating Scale -multi-age care in a home environment.
· School-Age Environment Rating Scale -5 to 12 years.

To conduct a valid assessment, we attempt to schedule the assessment on a "typical day" (e.g., usual routine, no special activities or guests). Also, each classroom or family child care home must have more than half of the children enrolled in attendance on the day of the assessment. Finally, each home or classroom being assessed should expect two assessors for the observation, although it is likely that only one assessor will conduct the observation.

In multi-classroom centers, a minimum of one-third of the total classrooms will be assessed. This will include at least one classroom from each age group requiring a specific rating scale (i.e., one infant/toddler classroom, one school-age classroom, etc.).

What to Expect the Day of the Assessment

Upon Arrival of the Assessor
The assessor(s) arrive when the center or home opens in the morning or when children are arriving. Before the observation begins, the assessor will typically greet the director or provider, provide a brief overview of the day, and then tour the entire facility. In child care centers, the classroom(s) to be assessed are chosen randomly by the assessor and director on the morning of each scheduled assessment.

The Observation
The observation will take approximately 3 to 5 hours and during that period the assessor(s) will observe a wide variety of interactions, activities, and materials as required by the rating scale. For instance, assessor may observe indoor and outdoor space, materials used by children, room arrangement, health practices, staff/child interactions, and so on. Our assessors will remain as unobtrusive as possible while conducting the observation.

Interview with Staff
The Environment Rating Scales require a 30 - 45 minute interview with a staff member after the observation to ensure accurate scoring. Depending on the facility type this may involve the family child care home provider, the lead classroom teacher and/or program director. The interview may take place during naptime, or during a time when a substitute teacher replaces the classroom teacher.

After the Assessment

For each observation, the assessor will complete a detailed report which identifies strengths and areas needing improvement as determined by the Environment Rating Scale assessment. The completed report(s) is forwarded to the facility's DCD licensing consultant who is responsible for communicating the information to the child care facility.

The facility summary report is designed to provide specific feedback so that child care providers and directors may enhance their program's quality through goal setting and other quality enhancement efforts.

If you have additional questions about the assessment process, please contact the NCRLAP main office.