Tennessee Child Care Quality Rating Program: Requirements, Assessment and Coaching

What Tennessee's child care quality rating program requires

Tennessee operates a tiered quality rating and improvement system for licensed child care programs. Programs are evaluated on staff qualifications, curriculum implementation, the learning environment, family engagement practices, and administrative policies. Each domain carries point values. A program must meet minimum thresholds in every domain to qualify for a given tier.

Centers receive a rating level based on total score and domain performance. The rating is public and helps families compare programs. Programs must participate in ongoing quality improvement activities to maintain or advance their rating. The system is voluntary for most license types but may be required for programs receiving state subsidy contracts or participating in prekindergarten initiatives.

Ratings are valid for a set period. Programs must undergo reassessment before the expiration date to retain their tier or qualify for a higher one.

How programs are assessed and rated

Assessment combines document review, on-site observation, and verification of staff credentials. Trained assessors use a standardized tool to score the program in each quality domain. The tool assigns points for specific practices: the use of a research-based curriculum, staff holding early childhood credentials, or the presence of developmentally appropriate materials.

Each rating level has point thresholds and minimum requirements in each domain. A program cannot advance by excelling in one area while neglecting another. A center with strong curriculum scores but insufficient staff training hours will not meet the threshold for the next rating.

Programs receive a written assessment report detailing their score in each domain, the overall rating, and areas flagged for improvement. The report identifies which standards were not met and what evidence would satisfy those standards during reassessment.

The role of quality coaches in the rating system

Quality coaches are assigned to programs working toward a higher rating or maintaining their current level. Coaches conduct site visits, review policies, and help directors interpret assessment feedback. Coaching is not optional for programs participating in the rating system.

Coaches help directors develop a quality improvement plan tied to specific rating standards. The plan identifies which standards the program will address, what actions the director will take, and the timeline for completion. Coaches revisit the plan during each visit, document progress, and adjust action steps as needed.

Coaching includes helping programs identify training needs, revise curricula, update family engagement practices, and prepare documentation for reassessment. Coaches do not complete the work for the program. They provide guidance on what evidence assessors will accept and what changes will satisfy unmet standards.

Coaching is provided by child care resource and referral agencies or other state-approved technical assistance networks. Coaches follow a schedule of visits determined by the program's rating level and improvement goals. Programs at lower tiers or those working on significant changes receive more frequent contact.

Steps a program follows to earn or advance a rating

Programs move through a defined sequence:

1.Enroll in the quality rating system and complete a baseline self-assessment.

2.Receive an initial assessment visit from a trained assessor.

3.Review the assessment report and identify priority improvement areas.

4.Work with an assigned quality coach to develop a written quality improvement plan.

5.Complete required training, make facility or curriculum changes, and document progress.

6.Request a reassessment when ready to demonstrate improvement.

7.Receive the updated rating and continue coaching to maintain or advance further.

The interval between initial assessment and reassessment varies. Programs must complete the actions in their quality improvement plan and gather the evidence required for each unmet standard before requesting a reassessment visit.

Where programs get this wrong

Directors assume all staff training hours count toward quality points, but only approved topics and providers qualify. Training must align with the state's professional development registry requirements and must be delivered by a recognized sponsor. Hours completed through informal workshops or non-approved platforms do not count.

Programs do not keep evidence of coaching visits or action steps. Assessors ask for documentation that coaching occurred and that the program followed through on agreed actions. Without visit logs, signed plans, or photos of changes, programs cannot demonstrate progress.

Centers treat the quality improvement plan as a one-time document instead of a living record updated after each coaching visit. Coaches and directors who do not update the plan lose track of priorities and miss opportunities to document incremental gains.

Directors lose track of which standards were flagged in the last assessment and which have been addressed. When multiple standards are unmet, directors often focus on the easiest fixes and neglect higher-point items.

Programs wait until weeks before reassessment to implement changes, leaving insufficient time to embed new practices. Assessors observe whether changes are routine or appear staged for the visit. A curriculum introduced the week before reassessment will not show evidence of child engagement or teacher fluency.

What quality coaches must document for every program

Each coaching visit must be logged with the date, duration, and participants present. Logs record who the coach met with and how much time was spent on site.

Coaches document which rating standards or quality improvement plan goals were addressed during the visit. Notes capture what was observed, what guidance was given, and what action steps the program agreed to take. If the visit focused on improving the outdoor learning environment, the coach notes the current state, the standard the program is working toward, and the specific changes the director committed to make.

Coaches attach evidence of progress: updated policy drafts, training certificates, or photos of environment changes. Evidence is filed with the visit log so that supervisors and assessors can see a chronological record of improvement.

Supervisors at CCR&R agencies or technical assistance networks must review coaching logs to ensure visits are happening on schedule and moving programs forward. Supervisors check that coaches are documenting action steps, following up on prior commitments, and closing the loop when a standard is met. Supervisors also verify that coaches are distributing their time appropriately across assigned programs.

Why CCR&R networks use Solutionwhere to track coaching and ratings

Coaching supervisors need a single view of every program's current rating, reassessment date, and quality improvement plan goals. Spreadsheets and shared folders do not connect visit logs to plan goals or show which programs have not had contact in weeks.

The coaching module logs each visit, attaches evidence, and ties notes directly to the standards the program is working on. Coaches select the relevant standard from the state framework, document what was discussed, and upload photos or files. The visit record is linked to the program's profile and quality improvement plan.

Supervisors can see which coaches are behind on visits and which programs have not had contact in weeks. The dashboard surfaces programs approaching their reassessment date without recent coaching and flags overdue action steps. Supervisors use this view to reassign cases, approve visit schedules, and ensure coaching dollars are distributed equitably.

When a program requests reassessment, the director and the coach have a complete record of what changed and when. The coach exports a timeline of visits, action steps, and attached evidence. Assessors reference this record to verify that the program engaged in sustained improvement, not last-minute compliance.

Networks use Solutionwhere to prove coaching dollars were spent on documented contact, not just claimed visits. State contracts and grant reporting require proof of coaching frequency, duration, and outcomes. Solutionwhere generates reports that show which programs received coaching, how many visits occurred, and which standards were addressed.

For supervisors managing coaching across a network

If you oversee quality coaches at a CCR&R agency or technical assistance provider, you know funders require visit counts, but directors and assessors need evidence of real progress.

Coaching logs that live in email threads or individual notebooks do not give you a network-wide view. You cannot see which programs are ready for reassessment, which coaches are behind, or which standards remain unaddressed across your caseload. See how agencies manage this in Solutionwhere.