site map  |  search site  |  contact us  |  disclaimer
	Regional Keys (hover mouse over region for contact information) Central Central Regional Key 2138 Lincoln Street Williamsport, PA 17701 Ph: 800-346-3020 Fax: 570-323-7510 John LaRose, Director Northeast Northeast Regional Key 1520 Hanover Avenue Allentown, PA 18109 Ph: 800-528-7222 Fax: 610-437-6500 Raine Neal, Director Northwest Northwest Regional Key 3823 West 12th Street Erie, PA 16505 Ph: 800-860-2281 Fax: 814-836-9615 Elana Shively, Director PA Key Pennsylvania Key 301 Market Street, 8th Floor Harrisburg, PA 17101 Ph: 800-284-6031 Fax: 717-213-0585 Gail Nourse, Director South Central South Central Regional Key 13 West Market Street York, PA 17401 Ph: 800-864-4925 Fax: 717-843-4158 Maureen Murphy, Director Southeast Southeast Regional Key 1500 S. Columbus Blvd, 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19147 Ph: 877-660-2273 Fax: 215-271-1607 Debra Lawrence, Director Southwest Southwest Regional Key 305 Wood Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Ph: 877-349-4850 Fax: 412-255-1178 Nedra Perkins, Director

 

Login to Intranet
E-mail Address 

Password 


Other Login Options

Environment Rating ScaleS

The environment rating scales (ERS) are standardized rating scales used to assess the quality of classrooms for children. There are scales that assess early childhood environments (ECERS-R), infant-toddler environments (ITERS-R), Family Day Care (FCCERS-R), and school-age environments (SACERS). The appropriate scale for Group Day Care is dependent on the setting and type of service provided.  Each ERS scale is divided into criteria that assess health, safety, building positive relationships with children and with parents, and providing opportunities for learning and development.  Each of these criteria impacts the program’s environment, curriculum, policies, schedule, supervision and parent involvement.

What do I have to fill out to request a visit from an ERS Assessor?

Request for ERS Validation Visit STAR 3-4 (This is a fill-in PDF document)

Who can use the environment rating scales?

The environment rating scales can be used by child care teachers and directors, agencies that provide oversight and technical assistance to child care providers, and researchers.  Child care providers can use the rating scales to complete a self-assessment of the quality of their classrooms. Agencies that are responsible for oversight can use the rating scales to determine areas of high quality and areas that need attention. Researchers can use the rating scales to examine the quality of programs over time and the factors that are significantly related to quality programs.

How does Keystone STARS make use of the environment rating scales? Providers who are enrolled in Keystone STARS will complete self-assessments as well as have ERS staff come to their program to assess the program and explain the scores. How do providers learn more about using the environment rating scales? 

In Pennsylvania, providers participating in Keystone STARS may access Keystone STARS ERS professional development. The workshop includes an overview of the indicators of child care quality and prepares providers with the skills necessary to use the rating scale as a self-assessment tool. To find out more about this professional development and when it is offered in your area, click here or contact your Regional Key.

Why is an ERS assessment important?

When providers use the ERS scales to assess their own classrooms or have an outside assessor conduct assessments, they learn valuable information about strengths and areas of growth needed in each classroom and age group. Using this information helps the provider make decisions about what areas of quality can be addressed in the early learning program. ERS assessments also help providers celebrate growth as they achieve the scores needed for STARS three and four and make decisions about continuous quality improvement.

Determining the appropriate environment rating scale for child care centers

The chart below provides guidance for child care providers to determine which ERS training(s) is most appropriate for their facility and which scale is appropriate for an individual classroom. To determine which scale should be used in mixed-age groupings, the provider should determine the age of the majority of the children in the group and use the ERS scale developed for that age group.

In situations where there is an equal age distribution of children for the ITERS-R and for the ECERS-R or where there is an equal age distribution of children for the ECERS-R and the SACERS, use the scale designed for the older group of children. This takes into account the emerging developmental needs of the younger children. 

The following guidelines refer to typically developing children. In classrooms where at least half of the children are experiencing significant developmental delays, the developmental age of the majority of the children will determine the appropriate scale to use. 

 

Determining the appropriate environment rating scale for Family Day Care and Group Day Care Facilities

Family Day Care:

The FCCERS-R will be used to assess all family day care homes. 

Group Day Care:

The FCCERS-R will be used to assess all GDC homes that are located in a residence.
In group day care homes that are not in the provider’s residence AND the program is set up to serve one particular age group, the corresponding age appropriate scale should be used. For instance, if the group day care is located in a church and provides care for school-age children only, the appropriate scale is the SACERS. 

	GDC in a Residence	GDC out of residence
Age groups separated by room as in a center	FCCERS-R	ITERS-R or ECERS-R or SACERS Age of the majority of the children in the group will determine which training the provider should take and which scale will be used for assessment
Classrooms serving children in grades 1-6 only	FCCERS-R	SACERS
Mixed age groups	FCCERS-R	FCCERS-R

Position Statements

ECERS PA Position Statements
ITERS PA Position Statements
FCCERS-R PA Position Statements
SACERS PA Position Statements

Useful Topics 

Diaper Changing Procedures 

What to Expect from my FCCERS-R Assessment 

Copyright © 2006 Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality. All rights reserved.