Supporting quality improvement in education and care: findings from the Quality Support Program
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Authors | The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) |
| Evaluator company | The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Classification | Silver |
| Study type | Quasi-experimental |
| Evaluation type | Both process and outcome |
Summary
The Supporting Quality Improvement (SQI) Evaluation presented key findings from the first two years of the Quality Support Program (QSP). The QSP delivered free tailored professional development and support to 251 Long Day Care and 21 Family Day Care services that were rated as ‘Working Towards the National Quality Standard (NQS)’ and not meeting six or more elements of the NQS. These services were targeted by the QSP across 6 rounds of tailored support. Compared to a group of similar control services, Long Day Care services participating in the QSP were 2.25 times more likely to achieve a rating of 'Meeting NQS' or above. QSP services also showed a greater increase in the number of elements met than control services. Service leaders felt more confident and informed after participating in the QSP and 74% of participants reported that they would be extremely likely to recommend the QSP to other services.