How is the ERIS Organized?
The aim of the Department of Defense Quality Child Care Expansion Project is to assist in providing military families access to quality child care programs in the community by utilizing the Effectiveness Rating and Improvement System (ERIS). The ERIS is based on widely recognized standards and models of excellence and national best practices. The ERIS contains 16 major sections organized into a 3-level framework as follows:
Section Title: The name of the section (e.g., Background Check/Child Abuse Prevention).
Section Abbreviation: The acronym and numbering abbreviation for the section (e.g., BAC 02).
Section Standards: A select number of quality standards for which a program will be assessed and measured (e.g., BAC 02.01 Background checks are performed and documented for each employee or volunteer who is in contact with children including management and administration, classroom staff, and support staff).
Features of the ERIS standards
- Each section standard requires a Yes/No response and some standards include an option to indicate that the standard is Not Applicable (NA).
- The section standards in RBI 15 and DEV 16 will be observed on-site and, as such, only require a Yes response prior to submission of the ERIS. The Yes response confirms that the program has reviewed each standard.
- Select section standards require the program to upload specific physical evidence and supporting materials that are necessary to demonstrate compliance (e.g. policy handbook).
- Links to online help guides and templates are intended to assist providers with achieving success in completing the ERIS.
- The ERIS navigation bar on the left side of the screen includes color indicators – green, yellow, and red – to easily indicate sections that are completed, in-process or not started, respectively.
- The right side of the screen includes a section called “Supporting Materials” which includes a section with a list of the documents that will be reviewed and the observations that will be made during the on-site visit.
Once the program completes and submits the ERIS to COA, an on-site visit of the program may be scheduled. The Child Care Reviewer who conducts the site visit will make observations and verify certain documentation during the site visit.