Head Start and Early Head Start programs in New York State are required to participate in QUALITYstarsNY, the state’s Quality Rating & Improvement System. This requirement that all Head Start/Early Head Start programs must participate in their state’s QRIS was added in the 2016 revision of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) and went into effect in 2021.
Please keep in mind that this is an unfunded mandate. QUALITYstarsNY has worked with the Head Start Collaboration Office to provide instructions on how to meet the new requirement in the most efficient way possible.
As New York State’s QRIS, QUALITYstarsNY supports nearly 900 early childhood sites across the state, including more than 300 Head Start/Early Head Start sites. QUALITYstarsNY is embarking on a period of growth thanks to federal stimulus funding invested in New York’s early childhood system. We will be able to serve many more programs within the next few years. Until we are able to select your program to participate, joining the QUALITYstarsNY waitlist is sufficient to meet the HSPPS requirement for programs to join their state QRIS.