Category 1: Director and Staff Qualifications and Training
Support the knowledge, experience, and ongoing professional development of directors and staff.
Director Qualifications and Training
This subcategory focuses on director qualifications, experience, and professional development. Measures examine the director’s education, experience in early childhood settings, completion of required annual training, and participation in training related to program administration, management, and supervision.
Staff Qualifications and Training
This subcategory focuses on ensuring staff are prepared to support children’s learning and development. Measures examine staff orientation, ongoing training, educational qualifications, and participation in the Texas Workforce Registry to support continuous professional growth.
Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions
Support children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and language development through high-quality teacher-child interactions.
Group Size and Staff Ratios
This subcategory focuses on group size and staffing. Measures examine the number of children in a classroom and the staff-to-child ratio to support quality interactions and responsive care.
Warm and Responsive Style
This subcategory focuses on a teacher’s interaction style. Measures examine how teachers build warm, safe environments for children, attend to their needs, and respond in ways that support learning, development, and well-being.
Language Facilitation and Support
This subcategory focuses on how teachers support children’s language development throughout the day. Measures examine how teachers model language, encourage children to communicate, and use conversations and interactions to expand children’s understanding and learning.
Play-Based Interactions and Guidance
This subcategory focuses on how teachers use play to support children’s learning and development. Measures examine how teachers encourage and expand children’s play, support make-believe and exploration, and facilitate positive social interactions with peers.
Support for Children’s Regulation
This subcategory focuses on supporting children’s self-regulation skills. Measures examine how teachers help children follow routines and expectations, express and manage emotions, resolve conflicts, and communicate their needs in positive and appropriate ways.
Instructional Formats and Approaches to Learning
This subcategory focuses on instructional formats and approaches to learning. Measures examine how teachers balance instruction across activity settings and formats, use intentional approaches to learning, and use child assessment data to guide instructional decisions.
Category 3: Program Administration
Build strong partnerships with families and positive staff relationships through effective program administration practices.
Family Education
This subcategory focuses on family education and engagement. Measures examine how programs communicate with families to establish shared expectations and promote shared responsibility for children’s learning.
Family Involvement
This subcategory focuses on family involvement. Measures examine how programs provide opportunities for families to actively participate in the early learning program and build strong home-school partnerships.
Program Management
This subcategory focuses on program management. Measures examine how programs implement policies and provide resources and supports that promote effective operations and meet the needs of families and staff.
Category 4: Indoor and Outdoor Learning Environments
Create learning environments that support children’s development, encourage physical activity, and foster healthy habits.
Indoor Learning Environment
This subcategory focuses on the indoor learning environment. Measures examine how to arrange classroom spaces and materials to support children’s development, promote engagement, and encourage both independent exploration and intentional instruction.
Outdoor Learning Environment
This subcategory focuses on the outdoor learning environment. Measures examine how to design and use outdoor spaces to support active learning, exploration, physical development, and opportunities to connect classroom learning with outdoor experiences.