The Development of Step up to Quality: What it Means for Families

In June 2013 the Nebraska legislature signed into being LB507, also known as the Step Up to Quality Act. Designed to answer the need for quality early childhood care and experiences across the state of Nebraska, Step Up to Quality is Nebraska’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Years in the making, Step Up to Quality aims to provide accountability for child care programs receiving state child care subsidy returns, increase family access to early childhood experiences through lowering of the income requirement levels to receive child care subsidy, and to provide an objective rating system for child care providers that will allow families to visually see the level of quality in a prospective child care program. This study identifies the history of Step Up to Quality, including how the bill was developed and implemented through the use of pilot studies, nationwide examinations of quality rating systems currently in use, and focus groups in order to answer questions relating to the involvement of families during the development process. This study also seeks to answer questions about how the results of Step Up to Quality will be shared with families and communities in Nebraska