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	Advocating for Quality - Special Projects
	Feasibility Study on Voluntary Accreditation of Manitoba's Licensed Child Care Services Frequently Asked Questions What is a feasibility study? What was the scope of the Feasibility Study on Voluntary Accreditation of Manitoba's Licensed Child Care Services? What is accreditation? How is accreditation different from licensing? What are the steps in an accreditation process? What is the basis of the draft standards developed for this feasibility study? What are the components of the standards? Who is responsible for granting accreditation status? How often does accreditation have to be renewed? What are the benefits of accreditation?		What is a feasibility study? A feasibility study provides a framework for testing the validity of an idea. Data is collected and analyzed to identify key risks and issues. Results are used to inform a decision on whether or not to proceed and how to proceed if that option is chosen. « back to top What was the scope of the Feasibility Study on Voluntary Accreditation of Manitoba's Licensed Child Care Services? The proposal described the steps necessary to study the feasibility of a voluntary accreditation system in terms of the: characteristics and operations of existing and emerging accreditation systems as they may be applicable within the Manitoba child care context dimensions, operations and environmental context of the Manitoba child care system as considerations in the possible design and implementation of service accreditation readiness and preferences of the Manitoba child care community, its service operators and practitioners, and clients for a system to assure and enhance services through accreditation conclusions and recommendations on the development of a child care service accreditation system for Manitoba and considerations in the design of such a system MCCA and CCCF formed an Advisory Committee to provide advice and insights to project team members. The Advisory Committee was co-chaired by Pat Wege, Executive Director of MCCA and Anne Maxwell, Senior Director of Projects, Programs & Services of the CCCF, and included representation from:   • Centre based child care • Family child care homes • Part time nursery schools • Not for profit services • Privately owned services • Francophone services • Aboriginal Services • Unionized services • Urban services • Rural and northern services • ECE Training Programs • Healthy Child Manitoba • Child Day Care Manitoba The feasibility study project was conducted in 6 parts: Part 1. Briefing on the Alberta Child Care Accreditation Program. Learn more about the Alberta model at www.child.gov.ab.ca Part 2. Environmental Scan of the Manitoba Child Care System: to produce a description, and analysis and readiness of the system into which accreditation might be introduced Part 3. Review of Child Care Service Standards in order to produce a set of sample service standards, appropriate to the Manitoba context for review by participants in the consultation phase. Part 4. Review of Accreditation Models in order to produce a set of considerations in the design of an accreditation agency, appropriate to the Manitoba context. Part 5. Consultation on Accreditation with the Manitoba Child Care Community in order to inform Manitoba stakeholders about accreditation purposes and processes and to obtain opinions on readiness; standards; approaches. Part 6. Feasibility Study Report and Recommendations: A summary report of each part will be prepared and recommendations on the processes to develop and implement an accreditation system in Manitoba. « back to top What is accreditation? Accreditation is the process by which a child care centre or family child care home volunteers to demonstrate its high quality of care to an authorized, external agency of professional peers through an assessment of its program of services, personnel, facility, administration, governance, and community relations. « back to top How is accreditation different from licensing? Licensed programs meet minimum standards and provide programs that support the basic health, safety, and well being of children. Accreditation represents a much higher level of quality assurance by: fostering the continuous development and improvement in the quality of services providing a system of evaluation in relation to organizational objectives and established service standards providing the consumer with an assurance of a high standard of service, beyond the basic minimum licensing requirements. « back to top What are the steps in an accreditation process? The child care program that volunteers for accreditation follows a series of steps: The child care program conducts a self-study against established service standards to identify strengths and quality improvement needs. The child care program prepares and implements a quality enhancement plan for itself based on the results of its self-study. External peers conduct a site review of the program to assess conformity with standards and progress on the quality enhancement plan. External reviewers prepare a report on the quality of care and enhancements. The accrediting agency uses the report to make a decision to confer or defer accreditation status. « back to top What was the basis of the draft standards developed for this feasibility study? The draft standards were developed by reviewing: Manitoba's licensing standards Manitoba's Best Practices Licensing Manual (centres only) Canadian Child Care Federation Standards of Practice and Occupational Standards Review of Canadian and international research on best practices Review of existing accreditation standards. « back to top What are the components of the standards? Accreditation standards consist of four parts: Components or Sections - broad categories such as relationships, health and safety, learning and development Standards - a broad statement of what is desirable in each component. Usually there are several standards for each component Criteria - descriptions of what is required to meet a standard. Criteria are checkable through observation, documents review and/or interviews with user-parents, staff or members of the board of directors Indicators - description of what to look for when trying to determine compliance with a criterion. Each criterion has several indicators. « back to top Who is responsible for granting accreditation status? Accreditation status is determined by an autonomous accreditation agency governed by a Board of Directors that is representative of the interests of the sector's stakeholders. The agency is the voice of the quality of the service it represents. Its endorsement is an indicator to all that the service has been objectively and critically assessed, found to meet required standards, and is committed to the continuous improvement of its services. « back to top How often does accreditation status have to be renewed? Accreditation status is granted for a specific time - usually three to five years. Since the focus of accreditation is continuous quality improvement, the process requires the same steps and rigour each time it is conducted. « back to top What are the benefits of accreditation? Voluntary accreditation evaluates services in relation to their stated objectives and established services standards; fosters within the early childhood profession the continuous development and improvement in the quality of services; and provides consumers assurance of the quality that they may expect from accredited services. « back to top