Several sources of information guided our revision process. First, we considered the current literature on child development, early childhood education, and emergent challenges in family child care, such as appropriate use of technology and new recommendations regarding the best ways to assure the health and safety of young children. This literature review ensured that the FCCERS-3 incorporated current views and research-based practices for supporting young children’s development.

A second major source of information that guided the revision process was an analysis of a large sample of family child care provider quality assessments using the FCCERS-R (n=1218). Using this large dataset, we examined in detail the functioning of each indicator and Item in the FCCERS-R. This allowed us to adjust the placement of indicators in the FCCERS-3 and modify indicators to improve scaling and reliability. This process also helped us to identify gaps in our assessment of key elements of the environment. We also added some new indicators. A final and critically important source of information for the revision of the scale was the close and open communication we maintain with practitioners in the field, including family child care providers, FCCH network personnel, licensing agencies, technical assistance providers, college and other training faculty, and our close colleagues at ERSI who provide training and reliability determination to users of the ERS materials across the U.S. and internationally.

What Is Substantially Different in the FCCERS-3 from the FCCERS-R

• FCCERS-R considers what is observed during the observation, as well as the provider’s report about the rest of the day, to determine scores for a number of Items.

• FCCERS-3 considers only what is observed during a 3-hour time sample to determine scores for all Items that address the ongoing program, including activities, interactions, and language. Additional time may be added only to review materials or the safety features of the outdoor gross motor space.

• FCCERS-R has 38 items organized into 7 Subscales: Space and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Listening and Talking, Activities, Interaction, Program Structure, and Parents and Provider.

• FCCERS-3 has 33 items organized into 6 Subscales: Space and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Language and Books, Activities, Interaction, and Program Structure. The Parents and Provider subscale has been dropped because it relied almost entirely on provider report, not on observation. Several other Items that are often not observed, such as Greeting/Departing and Nap/Rest, have been dropped, or key content has been included in other Items.

• FCCERS-R requires close attention to examining the number and quality of accessible materials.

• FCCERS-3 requires less attention to the accessible materials themselves and more attention to how the provider uses the materials to foster children’s learning.

• FCCERS-R contains three Items on “Listening and Talking.”

• FCCERS-3 contains six items on “Language and Books,” highlighting
the importance of language interactions in supporting young children’s development. In addition, we have added more specific indicators throughout the scale to measure providers’ use of language in the context of activities to guide learning.

• FCCERS-R contains four Items on “Interaction.”

• FCCERS-3 contains six Items on “Interaction,” highlighting the central role of relationships in young children’s learning and development.