Parent Aware Quality Rating and Improvement System: Standards and Indicators
Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), provides a common set of program standards for child care and early education programs, and is supported by a mission and principles. The program standards, combined with the Parent Aware Indicators, are also known as the Parent Aware “kindergarten readiness best practices”.
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Applying for the PDG B-5 SMART Grant?
Blog October 22, 2026
Leading an Early Childhood Team Through the Quality Improvement Process
Article October 7, 2026
Published in Young Children, this 2024 article provides an operational guide for aligning state QIS requirements with broader national standards, quality grants, and staff incentives.
Much-Needed Changes in Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Should Promote Equity
Blog October 7, 2026
Blog authors Gina Adams and Danielle Ewen outline systemic flaws in traditional models. This 2024 blog details how traditional QRIS frameworks often inadequately support parents, underinvest in actual center improvement, and inadvertently exacerbate funding inequalities among diverse childcare providers.