About This Project
Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) are designed to strengthen early learning programs and help families identify high-quality child care. By setting clear standards, supporting continuous improvement, and making quality more transparent, QRIS aim to improve children’s access to nurturing, developmentally supportive environments and to promote better outcomes for children and families.
Capital Quality, DC’s QRIS, launched in 2016, with full implementation achieved in 2018. In March 2025, the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) engaged the Urban Institute to conduct a comprehensive review of Capital Quality. The review examined the strengths and challenges of the current system, assessed how QRIS evidence and best practices have evolved since Capital Quality’s launch, and identified opportunities to strengthen both its framework and implementation.
The mixed-methods study included the following activities:
- A literature review and national landscape scan of QRIS models to identify common successes, persistent challenges, and emerging approaches.
- An analysis of Capital Quality administrative data to examine participation trends and patterns in quality improvement.
- A qualitative data collection with 125 stakeholders—including system leaders, program leaders, and families—through virtual interviews and focus groups to understand their experiences with Capital Quality and gather recommendations for improvement.
Based on these findings, the research team developed eight actionable recommendations to help OSSE strengthen Capital Quality, better support early learning programs, and more clearly communicate what high-quality child care looks like for families.
This project was funded by OSSE using the District’s local and federal funds (Award No. 90TP0134).
Project Leadership
Catherine Kuhns, principal investigator
Teresa Derrick-Mills, former co-principal investigator
Laura Jimenez Parra, task leader
Justin B. Doromal, task leader
Eve Mefferd, task leader
