Presents the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS), a comprehensive tool for assessing the quality of the care provided in a family child care home that can be used as self-evaluation by providers, for supervision by agency staff, and also in research and program evaluation. Users of the FDCRS can rate a home-based child care situation on a 4-point scale in the areas of: (1) space and furnishings for care and learning, including both indoor and outdoor space arrangements and space for play-alone activities; (2) basic care, including greeting and departure procedures, meals, snacks, and rest times, diapering, toileting, and personal grooming, and health; (3) language and reasoning, including activities to encourage language development; (4) learning activities, including eye-hand coordination, art, music and movement, and dramatic play; (5) social development, including discipline and cultural awareness; (6) adult needs, including relationships with parents and balancing personal and care-giving responsibilities; and (7) provisions for exceptional children, including adaptations for basic care, learning activities, and communication. Using this scale, program evaluators and others can determine whether a family child care home is providing the necessary space, materials, activities, and interaction that give developmentally appropriate experiences to the children receiving day care.
