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COLORADO SHINES QUALITY RATING PROCESS AT A GLANCE
 

A Colorado Shines rating is a symbol of quality. The Colorado Shines rating is a guarantee to families that your program is licensed, in good standing, and meets basic health and safety standards.
 
Colorado Shines rates the quality of Colorado’s early learning programs, on a scale of 1 to 5, based on how well your program:   

• Supports children’s health and safety

• Ensures staff are well-trained and effective

• Provides a supportive learning environment that teaches children new skills

• Helps parents become partners in their child’s learning

• Demonstrates good leadership and business practices

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WHAT IS COLORADO SHINES?
Colorado Shines is the state’s quality rating and improvement system for licensed early care and learning programs. It helps programs improve their quality and connect with families looking for quality care for their children. Think of Colorado Shines as a network that will strengthen your program, give you access to professional development opportunities, connect you to your colleagues and inform families who are looking for programs like yours.

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Programs with higher ratings (Levels 3-5) have gone through a process to demonstrate quality in all areas of program operations.  

These high-quality programs have been assessed and rated by a Colorado Shines Quality Rating Assessor based on points in five categories:

1. Workforce qualifications 

2. Family partnerships

3. Administrative practices 

4. Learning environment

5. Child health