Early Achievers

What is Early Achievers

Early Achievers is Washington state's quality recognition and improvement system, known in statute as a Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). It was developed to help early learning and school-aged programs offer high-quality care to support each child's learning and development. Early Achievers is designed to:

  • Ensure children have high-quality early learning experiences to develop skills they need to be successful in school and life.
  • Support early learning professionals with resources like professional development, coaching, mental health consultation, and financial supports.
  • Help families and caregivers find high-quality child care that fits their unique needs.
  • Early Achievers offers supports and resources to providers to ensure high-quality early care and education.
  • Early Achievers improves the quality of early care and learning for families:
    • Evidence-based information about facility quality;
    • Confidence in child care choice; and
    • Knowing children receive care that promotes their unique skills and cultures.

Vision

Equal access to an anti-racist and welcoming early learning setting that provides high-quality, responsive services so that every child and family in Washington may thrive. 

Mission

Early Achievers builds upon the foundation of quality early care and education to support ongoing improvement for educators in Washington state so they can offer meaningful early learning experiences that honor diversity, equity and inclusion for each child and their family.  

  • We honor the strengths and contributions of early learning professionals and recognize that there are many ways to demonstrate quality.
  • We provide resources and supports in ways that advance equity and quality.
  • We work with communities to co-design system improvements.
  • We work to increase transparency and accountability for DCYF and its implementing partners.
  • We work to break down systemic and institutionalized racism and strive to advance anti-racist policy.

A high-quality learning environment sets children up for success in school, improves health, and leads to many positive outcomes in life.

Early Achievers focuses on five main areas of quality. Each area is important to high-quality child care, supports early learning professionals, and makes a positive difference in young children's development:

  • Learning Environment
  • Child Outcomes
  • Interactions and Curriculum
  • Family Engagement and Partnerships
  • Professional Development and Training

While Early Achievers is available to all early learning programs, per RCWs 43.216.085, licensed or certified child care centers, family home child care, and outdoor nature-based child care, serving non school-age children and receiving state subsidy payments, must participate in Early Achievers. This includes ECEAP and Early ECEAP programs receiving state-funded support.

Department of Children, Youth, and Families is the lead agency for system development, integration, and policy.

The following agencies are key partners in Early Achievers implementation and have distinct roles:

  • Child Care Aware of Washington is the lead agency for improvement activities, such as training and coaching.
  • Cultivate Learning is the lead agency for all quality recognition activities and assessment reports and supports the coach workforce through training and consultation.

For additional resources, please visit the Supports and Resources webpage.

Early Achievers Impact Videos