What constitutes quality in early childhood settings, and how can it best be measured with today's widely used tools and promising new approaches? Find authoritative answers in this book, a must-have for high-level administrators and policymakers as more and more states adopt early childhood Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. The most comprehensive resource on measuring quality in both home- and center-based settings, this book brings together a who's who of early childhood experts to establish what's working in quality measurement and how it can be strengthened to support better programs and optimal child development. Readers will explore specific approaches to measuring the quality of factors that are key to school readiness, including: (1) supports for early language and literacy development; (2) math and science curricula and instruction; (3) environmental supports for social and emotional competence; (4) health-related factors such as nutrition, safety, and adequate physical activity; (5) family-sensitive child care; (6) cultural responsiveness; (7) services for children with disabilities; and (8) practices that promote dual language learners' development and learning. To help them measure these factors accurately, readers will get critical analyses of dozens of current assessment measures, plus an exclusive inside look at today's most promising new tools. Readers will also find invaluable guidance on "big picture" issues--such as how to align quality measures with professional development goals and desired child outcomes; how to make sound, data-driven decisions when implementing a large-scale Quality Rating and Improvement System, and how to conduct integrated quality assessments that combine the best of observational and structural approaches. An essential reference for anyone involved in a statewide effort to improve program quality, this book also makes an ideal graduate-level text for tomorrow's early childhood decision makers. Readers will have the knowledge base they need to strengthen their quality measurement--so they can be sure their programs lead to positive outcomes and get children ready for school success. "Why Strengthening the Measurement of Quality in Early Childhood Settings Has Taken on New Importance," an introduction by Ivelisse Martinez-Beck, is included. This book contains four sections. Section I, Reasons to Take Stock and Strengthen Our Measures of Quality, contains: (1) Setting the Context for a Discussion of Quality Measures: The Demographic Landscape of Early Care and Education (Tamara Halle, Ivelisse Martinez-Beck, Nicole D. Forry, & Meagan McSwiggan); (2) How Well Do Our Measures of Quality Predict Child Outcomes? A Meta-Analysis and Coordinated Analysis of Data from Large-Scale Studies of Early Childhood Settings (Margaret Burchinal, Kirsten Kainz, & Yaping Cai); and (3) Empirical Approaches to Strengthening the Measurement of Quality: Issues in the Development and Use of Quality Measures in Research and Applied Settings (Donna M. Bryant, Margaret Burchinal, & Martha Zaslow). Section II, Potential to Strengthen Measures of Quality in Specific Domains, contains: (4) Advancing the Measurement of Quality for Early Childhood Programs that Support Early Language and Literacy Development (Susan B. Neuman & Judith J. Carta); (5) Measuring the Quality of Early Childhood Math and Science Curricula and Teaching (Kimberly Brenneman, Kimberly Boller, Sally Atkins-Burnett, Deborah Stipek, Nicole D. Forry, Barbrina B. Ertle, Lucia French, Herbert P. Ginsburg, Ellen Frede, & Thomas Schultz); (6) Measuring the Quality of Environmental Supports for Young Children's Social and Emotional Competence (Marilou Hyson, Jessica E. Vick Whittaker, Martha Zaslow, Deborah Leong, Elena Bodrova, Bridget K. Hamre, & Sheila Smith); (7) Measuring Health-Related Aspects of Quality in Early Childhood Settings (Susan M. Hegland, Susan S. Aronson, Patricia Isbell, Sara Benjamin Neelon, Beth S. Rous, & Marilyn J. Krajicek); (8) Family-Sensitive Caregiving: A Key Component of Quality in Early Care and Education Arrangements (Juliet Bromer, Diane Paulsell, Toni Porter, Julia R. Henly, Dawn Ramsburg, Roberta B. Weber, & Families and Quality Workgroup Members); and (9) Measuring Culturally Responsive Early Care and Education (Eva Marie Shivers & Kay Sanders, with T'Pring R. Westbrook). Section III, Cross-Cutting Issues, contains: (10) Measuring Quality of ECE Programs for Children with Disabilities (Donna Spiker, Kathleen M. Hebbeler, & Lauren R. Barton); (11) Defining and Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Practices that Promote Dual Language Learners' Development and Learning (Dina C. Castro, Linda M. Espinosa, & Mariela M. Paez); (12) The Whole Child, the Whole Setting: Toward Integrated Measures of Quality (Suzanne M. Bouffard & Stephanie M. Jones); (13) Aligning Measures of Quality with Professional Development Goals and Goals for Children's Development (Robert C. Pianta, Bridget K. Hamre, & Jason Downer); and (14) Beyond Classroom-Based Measures for Preschoolers: Addressing the Gaps in Measures for Home-Based Care and Care for Infants and Toddlers (Heather Sandstrom, Shannon Moodie, & Tamara Halle). Section IV, Applications in Policy and Practice, contains: (15) Measuring and Rating Quality: A State Perspective on the Demands for Quality Measurement in a Policy Context (Deborah Swenson-Klatt & Kathryn Tout); (16) Data-Driven Decision Making in Preparation for Large-Scale Quality Rating System Implementation (Kathy R. Thornburg, Denise Mauzy, Wayne A. Mayfield, Jacqueline S. Hawks, Amber Sparks, Judy A. Mumford, Teresa Foulkes, & Kathryn L. Fuger); (17) Differing Purposes for Measuring Quality in Early Childhood Settings: Aligning Purpose with Procedures (Martha Zaslow, Kathryn Tout, & Tamara Halle); Conclusion: Ending with a Beginning Key Themes and Next Steps (Martha Zaslow). An index is included. [Foreword by Mary Bruce Webb.