In July 2023, the Office of Childhood (OOC) contracted with the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA) to develop and implement a Child Care Licensing Indicator method of inspection for licensed family child care homes, group child care homes, and child care centers. 

This is an alternative approach to inspections for licensed child care facilities that would allow for an abbreviated inspection to occur if the provider has met all criteria. Currently, child care facilities in the State of Missouri are inspected for compliance with all licensing rules at each anniversary inspection. Using this new approach, child care providers may receive fewer inspections or be inspected using an abbreviated list of rules instead of being inspected for all rules at each inspection. There are three targeted measurement tools that are used to conduct an abbreviated inspection. 

These tools allow for increased efficiency among Child Care Compliance inspection staff, while reducing the weight of inspections on child care providers. They may also help Child Care Compliance inspection staff engage in other licensing activities while conducting the inspection, such as providing technical assistance, trainings, or other provider supports.

During this project, NARA will develop and implement focus groups and stakeholder engagement sessions that will seek involvement from licensed child care providers, families, experts in early childhood and child development, OOC staff, and others. Use the green drop-down options below to learn about each measurement tool and to find additional information about the Licensing Indicator System.

Key Indicators

Key Indicators are a subset of licensing rules that have a strong, statistically-significant relationship to overall compliance. Using a statistical approach, NARA will analyze previous inspection report data to determine which rules will be used as Key Indicators of compliance. If providers comply with the key indicators, it is highly probable that they are compliant with all regulations. If providers are in violation with the key indicators, they are most likely non-compliant with other regulations as well.

To aid Missouri in the development of this tool, NARA will:

• Conduct an analysis of inspection data which will identify key indicator rules,
• Provide a report that identifies the key indicator rules based on the analysis of the data,
  • Read the final Missouri Key Indicator Analysis Report.
• Develop and implement a pilot version of the key indicators for Missouri, and
• Develop documents and training to help licensing staff and stakeholders understand the key indicators and how they are used.

Weighted Risk Indicators

Weighted Risk Indicators are a subset of licensing rules that have been identified as posing the greatest risk to children if violated in child care settings. To determine this subset of rules, NARA will distribute a survey asking stakeholders to assign a score to each licensing rule based on the level of risk of harm to children in care if that rule were violated. NARA will analyze the results of the survey once it has closed and determine a subset of rules that are deemed to be the highest risk to children if violated, and those rules will become the Weighted Risk Indicators.

To aid Missouri in the development of this strategy, NARA will:

• Engage stakeholders using a survey to determine rule risks,
• Provide a report that identifies the Weighted Risk Indicators based on the survey results,
• Develop and implement a pilot version of the weighted risk indicators for Missouri, and
• Develop documents and tools to help licensing staff and stakeholders understand the tool and how it is used.

Quality Indicators

Quality Indicators identify a subset of rules, or other non-regulatory factors, to predict the overall quality of care provided in a licensed child care facility. Licensing alone provides the ground floor for establishing quality in child care facilities. Additional factors, used in tandem with licensing rules, can help enhance the quality of a child care facility. These factors might include participation in and achievement of a designation level in the Office of Childhood’s Quality Assurance Report (QAR). This tool may or may not be a part of the system implemented in Missouri. NARA and OOC will work together to determine if, and how, this will work in Missouri.

To aid Missouri in the development of this strategy, NARA will:

• Determine rules and other nonregulatory factors that might predict quality of care, and
• Develop documents and tools to help licensing staff and stakeholders understand the tool and how it is used.

Get Involved

Throughout the duration of this project, NARA and the Office of Childhood will solicit stakeholder feedback through focus groups, surveys, and virtual meetings. If you would like to receive updates via email, please join the Early Connections mailing list by signing up on the Early Connections website. We will send updates regarding this project through this platform.

Stakeholder opportunities will be posted here and sent via the Early Connections mailing list as they become available.

Upcoming Opportunities

Date	Opportunity Type	Audience Type	Materials
12/2024	1 Hour Recorded Webinar Informational Session	Family Child Care Home, Group Child Care Home, and Child Care Center providers, as well as advocacy groups, parents, and other child care licensing stakeholders	Recording Link (coming soon)

Past Opportunities

Date	Opportunity Type	Audience Type	Materials
11/28/2023	Family Child Care Home Focus Groups	Family Child Care Home providers who registered to attend	Meeting Minutes (PDF)
11/30/2023	Group Child Care Home & Child Care Center Focus Groups	Group Child Care Home	Meeting Minutes (PDF)
05/07/2024	Weighted Risk Survey Focus Group	Family Child Care Home, Group Child Care Home, and Child Care Center providers	Meeting Minutes (PDF)
07/01/2024-08/31/2024	Weighted Risk Survey	All licensed family home, group home, child care center, and school-age providers, as well as advocacy groups, parents, and other child care licensing stakeholders.	Survey Closed

Frequently Asked Questions

Information on frequently asked questions regarding the project will be posted here as the project progresses.

Are license-exempt child care facilities included in the scope of this project?

No. The scope of work for this contract is for licensed Family Child Care Homes, Group Child Care Homes, and Child Care Centers, including School-Age programs.

When will this project be in effect?

This project will be completed by June 2026. However, a pilot phase will be implemented in 2025, so some providers may experience an abbreviated inspection prior to implementation statewide.

Resources

For a brief overview of the project that OOC is working on, including a timeline for completion, review the Child Care Licensing Indicator System two-page informational document.

For a general overview of the Licensing Indicator Systems approach, review NARA’s informational resource titled Key Indicator Systems for Licensing.

For a list of studies and projects similar to the Licensing Indicator System conducted in other states and their full reports, visit NARA’s Key Indicators website.

To learn more about various methods other states are using to define compliance and monitor child care facilities, read the Child Care Technical Assistance Network’s article called Contemporary Issues In Licensing - Monitoring Strategies for Determining Compliance: Differential Monitoring, Risk Assessment, and Key Indicators.

For any other questions about this project, please email childcare@dese.mo.gov and include Child Care Licensing Indicator System in the subject line.