Partners in Quality
Partners in Quality is made up of organizations from the public and private sector that have made a commitment to support early learning in Greater Kansas City. The vision of PIQ is to build a nationally unsurpassed early learning system in metropolitan Kansas City, ensuring the success of all children in our community. PIQ's mission is to engage a broad, influential group of metropolitan Kansas City organizations and individuals to design and implement a national unsurpassed early learning system through individual commitment and collective action.
By 2010, PIQ hopes to achieve the following goals:
Access to Quality
- Early learning programs — home- and center-based, for-profit and nonprofit — will have implemented research-proven curriculum, and will work in partnership with families and local school districts to ensure children arrive at school prepared to succeed.
- A well-established, metro-wide Quality Rating System will help families choose high-quality programs for their children. Quality ratings will determine family financial aid reimbursements to programs and operational reimbursements; higher-quality programs will receive higher reimbursements. Technical assistance will be available to programs to assist them in improving their quality ratings.
- The impact of increased investment on programs will be evaluated to ensure parent satisfaction. Program quality and children’s readiness for school will be positively impacted, and continual improvement will occur as a result of the evaluations.
- Back-office administrative support will be available to support the business operations of programs and create a more efficient industry. This support could include billing, fee collection, accounting, auditing, overall fiscal management and purchasing pools for materials, services (janitorial, catering) and benefits and/or liability insurance.
Workforce Development
- Well-educated teachers and staff will work in all early learning programs. Directors and teachers will hold degrees and certificates in the field of early education. These professionals will receive competitive compensation and benefits packages so a competitive workforce can
be recruited and retained.
Public Engagement
- A highly engaged and supportive public will encourage continued investments in early learning. Elected officials will include early learning as part of their platforms, and will work closely with Partners in Quality.
- New funding from the public and private sectors will be developed and dedicated to various components of the community’s early learning system, including quality improvement, family support, resource and referral services, oversight, accountability and administration.
Support for Families
- Sufficient funding — through family fees, public funds and private investments — will be secured for parent education and quality programs for all families who choose to access them; resource and referral services; quality improvement initiatives.
To learn more about Partners in Quality, download the latest PIQ Update newsletter.
Members
Administration for Children and Families,
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Bi-County United Way
Bright Horizons-Citicorp Family Center
Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
Early Childhood Special Education
Directors’ Forum
Early Head Start Shawnee Mission
Economic Opportunity Foundation
El Centro, Inc.
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Francis Institute
Francis Family Foundation
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Guadalupe Centers, Inc.
Hall Family Foundation
Healthy Steps
HOMEFRONT
Independence School District
Jewish Heritage Foundation
Kansas City, Missouri, School District
Kansas City Public Television Channel 19
Local Investment Commission
Maternal Child and Health Coalition
Metropolitan Community Colleges
Metropolitan Council on Early Learning
Mid-America Association of the Education of Young Children
Mid-America Regional Council
Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership
National Center for Fathering
OPEN Initiative
Parents as Teachers Consortium
Park University
Partnership for Children
Pembroke Hill School
Project EAGLE
Seton Center Family and Health Services
St. Mark's Child and Development Center
St. Therese Early Education Center
St. Vincent's Operation Breakthrough
The Family Conservancy
The H&R Block Foundation
UMKC Family Studies Program
UMKC-Edgar L. and Rheta A. Berkley Child and Family Development Center
United Community Services
United Way of Wyandotte County
University of Missouri-Kansas City Family Studies
University of Missouri- Kansas City Institute for Human Development
Up With Parents and Other Caregivers
YMCA of Greater Kansas City