Ohio § 5104.29

§ 5104.29.

(A) There is hereby created in the department of children and youth the step up to quality

program, under which the department of children and youth, in cooperation with the

department of education and workforce, shall develop a tiered quality rating and improvement

system for all early learning and development programs in this state.  The step up to quality program shall include all of the following components: (1) Quality program standards for early learning and development programs; (2) Accountability measures that include tiered ratings representing each program's level

of quality; (3) Program and provider outreach and support to help programs meet higher standards

and promote participation in the step up to quality program; (4) Financial incentives for early learning and development programs that provide publicly

funded child care and are linked to achieving and maintaining quality standards; (5) Parent and consumer education to help parents learn about program quality and ratings

so they can make informed choices on behalf of their children. (B) The step up to quality program shall have the following goals: (1) Increasing the number of low-income children, special needs children, and children

with limited English proficiency participating in quality early learning and development

programs; (2) Providing families with an easy-to-use tool for evaluating the quality of early learning

and development programs; (3) Recognizing and supporting early learning and development programs that achieve higher

levels of quality; (4) Providing incentives and supports to help early learning and development programs

implement continuous quality improvement systems. (C) Under the step up to quality program, participating early learning and development

programs may be eligible for grants, technical assistance, training, and other assistance.  Programs that maintain a quality rating may be eligible for unrestricted monetary

awards. (D) The tiered ratings developed pursuant to this section shall be based on an early

learning and development program's performance in meeting program standards in the

following four domains: (1) Learning and development; (2) Administration and leadership practices; (3) Staff quality and professional development; (4) Family and community partnerships. The ratings developed under this section shall not take into consideration whether

an administrator or employee of an early learning and development program holds or

obtains a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. (E) The director of children and youth, in collaboration with the director of education

and workforce, shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code

to implement the step up to quality program described in this section.