Quality Start OC

QualityStart OC is a community partnership, led by the Orange County Department of Education, focused on raising the quality of early learning programs across the county. MCP has participated in the Quality Start OC program since 2014 and proudly maintains a 4 Star-Highest Quality rating.

QualityStart OC focuses on four key areas:

1. Raising community awareness on the importance of investing in high quality early learning, so all Orange County’s children have a strong start.

2. Supporting parents who are looking for early learning experiences for their children by providing them a directory of resources, local programs, quality rating scores, and information on how to choose a quality program.

3. Supporting educators and care providers who are seeking to improve the quality of their programs. This includes the QualityStart OC Network that provides training and assistance to all types of early learning programs throughout the county.

4. Operating the Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS) Pilot Project: QualityStars. Funded through the Federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant, QualityStart OC’s QRIS sets standards for quality and rates programs on a five-star scale, while providing resources to support continuous quality improvement (such as coaching, training, and technical assistance).