Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >
Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >PAS focuses on the quality of administrative, management, and leadership practices of early childhood programs. The PAS helps a program take a deeper look into the following aspects of program administration:
PAS is appropriate for profit and non-profit center-based and group child care programs located in commercial structures.
External PAS assessments are conducted by a reliable PAS assessor from the Program Quality Assessment (PQA) team.
Internal CLASS assessments are conducted by the program’s internal assessment team. Programs partner with the Quality Coach and PQA team when planning for and conducting internal assessment, and when analyzing the information collected during the internal assessment process. PAS assessments may include a tour of the child care space, an interview with the provider, and a review of the documentation required to rate some PAS indicators.
Information gathered during a PAS assessment can used by program directors and administrators to identify strengths in leadership and management practices, as well as areas for growth. The information gathered can be used to help create the program’s continuous quality improvement plan.
Additional information on the PAS can be found at:
How to Conduct an Interal Assessment Using the PAS (PDF) is a good place to start. It provides an at-a-glance of the assessment details, a list of materials to support internal assessments, links to professional learning resources, and step-by-step guidance for conducting the internal assessment.