Using the School-Age Children Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) and the Arnett Caregiver Interaction Scale for Program Assessment and Improvement

 

Course Description:

The need for school age child care has existed for a long period of time. School-age programs vary both in facility and content of the program. The SACERs tool is for school age programs serving children from age 5-12. Given this broad age range, it is essential to offer activities that meet the widely differing needs and interests of children over a 7-year age span. The SACERs tool helps programs evaluate current practices and identified areas of strength as well as areas needing improvement. In this training, participants will learn about the content and use of the School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS), practice scoring, review results, and describe strategies for program improvement.

 

The scales are designed to assess process quality in an early childhood or school age care group. Process quality consists of the various interactions that go on in a classroom between staff and children, staff, parents, and other adults, among the children themselves, and the interactions children have with the many materials and activities in the environment, as well as those features, such as space, schedule and materials that support these interactions. Process quality is assessed primarily through observation and has been found to be more predictive of child outcomes than structural indicators such as staff to child ratio, group size, cost of care, and even type of care, for example child care center or family child care home (Whitebook, Howes & Phillips, 1995).

In order to provide care and education that will permit children to experience a high quality of life while helping them develop their abilities, a quality program must provide for the three basic needs all children have:

• Protection of their health and safety
• Building positive relationships
• Opportunities for stimulation and learning from experience

The Environmental Rating Scales (ERS) consist of a series of four scales that share the same format and scoring system. Each of the scales assess a different age group and/or type of early education and care setting. The ERS is a valid and reliable tool for program evaluation.

The scales are designed to assess process quality in an early childhood or school age care group. Process quality consists of the various interactions that go on in a classroom between staff and children, staff, parents, and other adults, among the children themselves, and the interactions children have with the many materials and activities in the environment, as well as those features, such as space, schedule and materials that support these interactions. Process quality is assessed primarily through observation and has been found to be more predictive of child outcomes than structural indicators such as staff to child ratio, group size, cost of care, and even type of care, for example child care center or family child care home (Whitebook, Howes & Phillips, 1995).

In order to provide care and education that will permit children to experience a high quality of life while helping them develop their abilities, a quality program must provide for the three basic needs all children have:

• Protection of their health and safety
• Building positive relationships
• Opportunities for stimulation and learning from experience

The Environmental Rating Scales (ERS) consist of a series of four scales that share the same format and scoring system. Each of the scales assess a different age group and/or type of early education and care setting. The ERS is a valid and reliable tool for program evaluation. Programs can use the appropriate scale for self-assessment and to determine areas for improvement.

The Arnett caregiver Interaction Scale is designed to measure the emotional tone, disciplinary style, and the responsiveness of the educator. During this training, participants will review the organization and content of the Interaction Scale, practice using the tool as a self-assessment measure, and utilize the results to identify areas for improvement.