The Leading Indicator of Quality Child Care
Iowa Quality for Kids (IQ4K®) is Iowa’s new Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) licensed Child Care Centers and preschools, registered Child Development Homes and programs operating under the authority of an accredited school district or nonpublic school. IQ4K® provides five levels of quality (building blocks) that programs can achieve and continue to improve on. By implementing Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), IQ4K® allows programs to assess their current grade across all areas of programming and devise a structured plan to increase the overall level of program quality. When you participate with IQ4K®, you could be eligible to earn an Achievement Bonus to support your program. The money is yours to enhance the overall quality of your program. If you would like to learn more information, click here!
Application Resources
Listed below are suggested forms and required documents to help programs successfully complete IQ4K® applications.
Center or Preschool
Resources
Guidance & Requirements
IQ4K Licensed Centers/Preschools Requirement Chart - scroll below to see specialized track charts
CCR&R Policy Development Guidance
Nutrition & Physical Activity
GoNAPSACC online assessment or paper assessment
Healthy Kids, Healthy Future online assessment or paper assessment
Nutrition & Physical Activity Action Plan and Goals - suggested form
Professional Development
Professional Development Plan - suggested plan
Professional Development Requirements for IQ4K Levels
Leadership & Administration
ECI Pathway - Administrator Roles
Program Assessment - required form
Quality Improvement Action Plan - required form
Staff Self-Assessment - required form Fillable
Family & Community Partnerships
Activity Summary - suggested form
Annual Conferences - suggested form
Culturally Sensitive Practices & Procedures - suggested form, required for Level 3
Orientation Policy/Procedure - suggested form
Environment
Environment Rating Scale (ERS)
Environment Rating Scale Assessment Request
Health & Safety Checklist For Early Care & Education Programs
Health & Safety Checklist - Action Steps
Interaction & Relationship Self- Assessment - required form
Supporting Culture & Diversity - suggested form, required for Level 2
Teaching Staff Qualifications
Teaching Staff Qualifications worksheet
Teaching & Learning
Assessment Tool - suggested form
Curriculum Alignment - suggested form
Specialized Tracks
Classroom/Staff Breakdown for Specialized Tracks
IQ4K American Montessori Society (AMS) Requirement Chart
IQ4K Council on Accreditation (COA) Program Requirement Chart
IQ4K Head Start/Early Head Start Requirement Chart
IQ4K NAC (National Accrediation Commission) Program Requirement Chart
IQ4K NAEYC Accreditation+ Programs Requirement Chart (For programs meeting Accreditation+)
IQ4K NECPA Program Requirement Chart
Achievement Bonus Structure
Child Development Home
Resources
Guidance & Requirements
IQ4K Child Development Home Requirement Chart - scroll below to see specialized track charts
CCR&R Policy Development Guidance
Nutrition & Physical Activity
GoNAPSACC online assessment or paper assessment
Healthy Kids, Healthy Future online assessment or paper assessment
Nutrition & Physical Activity Action Plan and Goals - suggested form
Professional Development
Early Childhood Positive Behavior Supports for Family Child Care (EC-PBIS-FCC) Forms
- Level 3: Relationships Checklist and Environments Checklist and Expectation-Activities-Feedback Checklist
- Level 4: Emotions-Regulation Checklist and Friendship-Problem Solving Checklist
- Level 5: Benchmarks of Quality and FCC-BOQ Action Plan
Professional Development Plan - suggested form
Professional Development Requirements for IQ4K Levels
Family & Community Partnerships
Activity Summary - suggested form
Annual Conferences - suggested form
Culturally Sensitive Practices & Procedures - suggested form, required for Level 3
Orientation Policy/Procedure - suggested form
Environment
FCCERS-3 Environment Rating Scale (ERS) Score Sheet
FCCERS-3 Environment Rating Scale (ERS) Improvement Plan
Environment Rating Scale Assessment Request
Health & Safety Checklist For Early Care & Education Programs
Health & Safety Checklist - Action Steps
Interaction & Relationship Self- Assessment - required form
Program Assessment - required form
Quality Improvement Action Plan - required form
Supporting Culture & Diversity - suggested form, required for Level 2
Provider Qualifications
Teaching & Learning
Assessment Tool - suggested form
Specialized Tracks
IQ4K NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care) Program Requirement Chart
Achievement Bonus Structure
School-Age Program
Resources
Guidance & Requirements
IQ4K School-Age Program Requirement Chart - scroll below to see specialized track charts
CCR&R Policy Development Guidance
Nutrition & Physical Activity
GoNAPSACC online assessment or paper assessment
Nutrition & Physical Activity Action Plan and Goals - suggested form
Professional Development
Professional Development Plan - suggested form
Professional Development Requirements for IQ4K Levels
Leadership & Administration
Program Assessment - required form
Quality Improvement Action Plan - required form
Staff Self-Assessment - required form Fillable
Family & Community Partnerships
Activity Summary - suggested form
Annual Conferences - suggested form
Culturally Sensitive Practices & Procedures - suggested form, required for Level 3
Orientation Policy/Procedure - suggested form
Environment
SACERS-U Environment Rating Scale (ERS) Score Sheet
SACERS-U Environment Rating Scale (ERS) Improvement Plan
Environment Rating Scale Assessment Request
Health & Safety Checklist For Early Care & Education Programs
Health & Safety Checklist - Action Steps
Interaction & Relationship Self- Assessment - required form
Supporting Culture & Diversity - suggested form, required for Level 2
Teaching & Learning
Assessment Tool - suggested form
Specialized Tracks
Classroom/Staff Breakdown for Specialized Tracks
IQ4K Council on Accreditation (COA) School-Age Program Requirement Chart
Achievement Bonus Structure
Helpful Tools
Whether you’re a Child Care Center, preschool, Child Development Home, school-age program or someone who is just thinking about starting your own child care business, we have the tools you need to become successful in the IQ4K® program.
Tools
Child Care Nurse ConsultantHealthy Child Care Iowa contact information for your CCNC. Link » |
Compass (ERS® Training Series)Iowa State University offers step-by-step guidance through helpful changes that make a difference in your work with children. Link » Discovery Observation » Disc Obs Request Intake Form » ERS Re-Assessment » |
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)IQ4K Resources & Announcements IQ4K Bonus Schedule » IQ4K Program Flyer » QRIS Link » News 9/20/21 » |
Developmental Screening and Assessment InformationArticles about Screenings & Assessments Child Screen/Assess ECLKC » EC-CAP Evaluation NAEYC » EC Assessment REL » |
Early Childhood Iowa Career PathwaysUse this pathway to help make decisions about training and education needed to develop a dynamic career in early childhood. Link » |
Fiscal DocumentsRequired forms to be loaded for the online application. W-9 Taxpayer ID » General Accounting (GAX) » |
i-PoWeR Professional Workforce RegistryVisit CCR&R Training to view How-to video clips for assistance with navigating i-PoWeR and more. Link to Videos » Link to i-PoWeR » CACFP Training Verification » Moodle Transfers » Classroom/Staff Breakdown » |
IQ4K CommunicationsEmail announcements for IQ4K. 2/27/23 » 7/26/22 » 5/31/22 » 3/15/22 » 2/15/22 » 1/25/22 » 12/10/21 » 9/20/21 » |
Tools to help assess your program’s environment.Report from Ingram » Checklist for Environment » |
Meet Kaya
Kaya, our quality Kangaroo, will hop you through everything you need to know for the IQ4K® rollout. She covers the benefits of participating in this voluntary rating and improvement system and gives examples of what your program can learn and implement. Follow Kaya on Facebook.
Why Your Program Should Participate in IQ4K®
Better Overall Level of Program Quality
Get structured guidelines that you can directly implement into your program. These include nutrition plans, staff development opportunities, educational plans, goals for kids, and much more.
Bonus Payments and Reimbursement Rates
Your program will receive a bonus payment upon achievement of each IQ4K® level. You can use the bonus for any area of your business. The higher IQ4K® level your program achieves, the higher your Child Care Assistance (CCA) reimbursement rate may be. Several grants and other funding opportunities require a program to have a QRIS rating.
Specialized Tracks for Accredited Programs
Suppose your program is already meeting enhanced standards through alternative DHS-approved entities (i.e., NAEYC Accreditation, NAFCC Accreditation, Head Start Performance Standards, Iowa Quality Preschool Performance Standards). In that case, IQ4K® will provide specialized tracks to avoid work you’ve already completed.
Less Paperwork!
IQ4K® has a brand-new electronic database that will drastically reduce your paperwork requirements.
What's Next?
IQ4K® officially rolled out April 2022! - See the NEWS Release
Take the steps below to prepare for your application.
- Make sure your i-PoWeR profile is up to date
- Get in touch with your CCR&R Child Care Consultant
- Review training documents and check out Kaya’s video
IQ4K Specialists
Programs are encouraged to connect with their local CCR&R Child Care Consultant to start an application. IQ4K Specialists are available for additional support.
| Location | Specialist | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CCR&R of NW Iowa |
Susan Eversoll | IQ4K@midsioux.org | (712) 541-7241 |
|
CCR&R of NW Iowa |
Sydney Blair | IQ4K@midsioux.org | (712) 541-3314 |
|
CCR&R of NE Iowa |
Alison Schmitz | alison.schmitz@episervice.org | (319) 233-0804 x7779 |
|
CCR&R of NE Iowa |
Jennifer Verhulst | jennifer.verhulst@episervice.org | (319) 433-7780 |
|
CCR&R of SW Iowa |
Jamie Needham | jneedham@westcca.org | (712) 579-7326 |
|
CCR&R of SW Iowa |
Debbie Pryor | dpryor@westcca.org | (712) 579-4167 |
|
CCR&R of Central Iowa |
Erin Casey | ecasey@orchardplace.org | (515) 802-8164 |
|
CCR&R of Central Iowa |
Casey Shelton | cshelton@orchardplace.org | (515) 802-8016 |
|
CCR&R of SE Iowa |
Jodi Norton | IQ4K@caeiowa.org | (319) 321-8810 |
|
CCR&R of SE Iowa |
Tessa Amato | IQ4K@caeiowa.org | (563) 362-8227 |
Share Your Achievements
As a child care provider who participates in IQ4K®, here is an opportunity to showcase your quality. Why? Because families, community and stakeholders won't know of your hard work unless you tell them! Review our IQ4K Marketing Toolkit resources and build a plan that works best for you. Now comes the fun - share the details of your continuous quality improvement successes!
Marketing Toolkit
Getting StartedWhy showcase your program? Review the benefits of marketing your achievements and the importance of continuous quality improvement. Flyer » |
IQ4K Talking PointsLanguage to use when sharing your achievements! Item » |
Letter for Enrollment or Application PacketSample letter highlighting IQ4K participation for families that are looking to enroll in your program. Sample Letter » |
Program Rating AnnouncementUse for newspapers, newsletters or social media when you achieve your IQ4K rating. Template » Image » |
Announcing "Kaya Day" AchievementsUse for newsletters or on social media to share your IQ4K achievements every time a new goal is met! Graphic » Sample Language Ideas » |
Help Us Celebrate Your ProgramUse this document to learn how to share your program's IQ4K rating achievement through pictures and testimonials on IQ4K's Facebook. Flyer » |
Family CommunicationInformation to share through newsletters, social media, bulletin boards, parent meetings, etc. Policy updates coming soon. Resources - pgs 11 & 12 |
Training CommunicationTraining information to share through newsletters, social media, bulletin boards, parent meetings, etc. DYK... Fun Facts along with Center, Preschool, School-age and Child Development Home resources coming soon. |
Coloring Books for FamiliesCelebrate your IQ4K rating by printing and handing out a coloring book to families in your program. Coloring Book » |
Provider Survey Response
"I am currently working on getting my IQ4K application completed and have been working with an IQ4K Specialist. She has been very helpful and attentive to my emails and questions. Working with her has been great!" - Tammy, Child Development Home Provider
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