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!

 

Contact an IQ4K Specialist

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

  Annual Requirements Checklist

  Classroom/Staff Breakdown

  Level 1 Requirements

  Level 2 Requirements

  Level 3 Requirements

  Level 4 Requirements

  Level 5 Requirements

  CCR&R Policy Development Guidance

  IQ4K Policy 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

  i-PoWeR Center/SA Checklist

  Professional Development Plan - suggested plan

  Professional Development Requirements for IQ4K Levels

  Training Information & Links

Leadership & Administration

  ECI Pathway - Administrator Roles

  Program Assessment - required form

  Quality Improvement Action Plan - required form

  Staff Self-Assessment - required form

Family & Community Partnerships

  Activity Options

  Activity Summary - suggested form

  Activity Summary Guidance - 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)

     ECERS-3 Score Sheet

    ECERS-3 Improvement Plan

    ITERS-3 Score Sheet

    ITERS-3 Improvement Plan

    SACERS-U Score Sheet

    SACERS-U 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 Staff Qualifications

  ECI Pathway - Teaching Role

  Related Degrees

  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 IQPPS Requirement Chart

  IQ4K NAC Program Requirement Chart

  IQ4K NAEYC Accredited Programs Requirement Chart

  IQ4K NECPA Program Requirement Chart

Achievement Bonus Structure

  Achievement Bonus

Child Development Home


Resources

Guidance & Requirements

  IQ4K Child Development Home Requirement Chart - scroll below to see specialized track charts

  Annual Requirements Checklist

  Level 1 Requirements

  Level 2 Requirements

  Level 3 Requirements

  Level 4 Requirements

  Level 5 Requirements

  CCR&R Policy Development Guidance

  IQ4K Policy 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

  i-PoWeR CDH Checklist

  Professional Development Plan - suggested form

  Professional Development Requirements for IQ4K Levels

  Training Information & Links

Family & Community Partnerships

  Activity Options

  Activity Summary - suggested form

  Activity Summary Guidance - 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

  ECI Pathway - Teaching Role

  Related Degrees

Teaching & Learning

  Assessment Tool - suggested form

Specialized Tracks

  IQ4K NAFCC Program Requirement Chart

Achievement Bonus Structure

  Achievement Bonus

School-Age Program


Resources

Guidance & Requirements

  IQ4K School-Age Program Requirement Chart - scroll below to see specialized track charts

  Annual Requirements Checklist

  Classroom/Staff Breakdown

  Level 1 Requirements

  Level 2 Requirements

  Level 3 Requirements

  Level 4 Requirements

  Level 5 Requirements

  CCR&R Policy Development Guidance

  IQ4K Policy Guidance

Nutrition & Physical Activity

  GoNAPSACC online assessment or paper assessment

  Nutrition & Physical Activity Action Plan and Goals - suggested form

Professional Development

  i-PoWeR Center/SA Checklist

  Professional Development Plan - suggested form

  Professional Development Requirements for IQ4K Levels

  Training Information & Links

Leadership & Administration

  Program Assessment - required form

  Quality Improvement Action Plan - required form

  Staff Self-Assessment - required form

Family & Community Partnerships

  Activity Options

  Activity Summary - suggested form

  Activity Summary Guidance - 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

  Achievement Bonus

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 Consultant

Healthy 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 Information

Articles about Screenings & Assessments

Child Screen/Assess ECLKC » EC-CAP Evaluation NAEYC » EC Assessment REL »

Early Childhood Iowa Career Pathways

Use this pathway to help make decisions about training and education needed to develop a dynamic career in early childhood.

Link »

Fiscal Documents

Required forms to be loaded for the online application.

W-9 Taxpayer ID » General Accounting (GAX) »

i-PoWeR Professional Workforce Registry

Visit 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 Communications

Email 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.


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 Email 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 Started

Why showcase your program? Review the benefits of marketing your achievements and the importance of continuous quality improvement.

Flyer »

IQ4K Talking Points

Language to use when sharing your achievements!

Item »

Letter for Enrollment or Application Packet

Sample letter highlighting IQ4K participation for families that are looking to enroll in your program.

Sample Letter »

Program Rating Announcement

Use for newspapers, newsletters or social media when you achieve your IQ4K rating.

Template »  Image » 

Announcing "Kaya Day" Achievements

Use 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 Program

Use this document to learn how to share your program's IQ4K rating achievement through pictures and testimonials on IQ4K's Facebook.

Flyer »

Family Communication

Information to share through newsletters, social media, bulletin boards, parent meetings, etc.

Policy updates coming soon.

Resources - pgs 11 & 12

Training Communication

Training 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 Families

Celebrate 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