Bright & Early ND Program Guide
The Bright & Early ND Program Guide is a resource to help programs successfully participate in Bright & Early ND. Its purpose is to help programs understand the framework and requirements associated with Bright & Early ND. The Program Guide will serve as an ongoing reference tool for programs participating in Bright & Early ND.
Step 1: Health and Safety
Meeting and maintaining child care licensing regulations is the foundation of Bright & Early ND. These regulations are designed to protect and promote child safety and well-being in all types of settings.
Licensed early childhood programs are required to maintain at least minimum standards related to; physical space, safety features, cleanliness, staff qualifications and staff-to-child ratios. Children need to be healthy and feel safe to learn and grow. It is the first step in preparing children to be ready for school, work, and life.
All programs who hold a current license issued by Health & Human Services are automatically welcomed into Bright & Early ND as a Step 1 Quality Rated program.
Step 2: Space and Materials
A safe, responsive, and engaging environment sets the stage for optimal early childhood experiences. An intentionally designed environment allows opportunities for children to experiment, practice their skills, analyze, socialize and problem solve. When the environment supports children’s learning and development, they are better prepared for school, work, and life.
- CACFP Meal Patterns
- Infant Meal Pattern
- Child Meal Patterns
- Go NAPSACC Self-Assessments for Preschool and Center Licensed Programs
- Go NAPSACC Self Assessments for Family and Group Licensed Programs
- MyPlate Life Stages
- Weekly Menu Template
The Environment Rating Scales® (ERS®) are a series of reliable, valid, research-based observational tools designed to assess the quality of the environment. The QRIS utilizes three scales, each designed for a different segment of the early childhood field.
- The Infant and Toddler Environment Rating Scale®, Third Edition (ITERS-3™) is designed to assess the quality of environments serving children birth to 36 months and is predominately used in infant and toddler classrooms located in a center.
- The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale®, Third Edition (ECERS-3™) is designed to assess the quality of environments serving children ages 3 to 5 and is predominately used in preschool classrooms located in a center.
- The Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale®, Third Edition (FCCERS-3™) is designed to assess the quality of environments in family child care settings. One observation is conducted per family or group child care program.
Additional Resources
Quality Improvement Planning
Continuous quality improvement is a process to ensure programs are systematically and intentionally improving services and increasing positive outcomes for the children and families they serve. It is proactive, not reactive. A continuous quality improvement environment is one in which data is collected and used to make positive changes, even when things are going well. The process is meant to be ongoing and generally follows a cycle. Through the process of continuous quality improvement, early care and education programs are able to:
- Identify needs or barriers
- Develop strategies of change
- Implement those strategies
- Make decisions about ongoing and long-lasting improvements
The Quality Improvement Plan is part of the continuous quality improvement process in which programs assess their strengths and opportunities for growth, set achievable goals, and develop realistic plans for improvement.
Growing Futures Help Center
- Employment Information for Individuals
- Employee Information for Organizations
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Growing Futures Help Center
- Individual Accounts
- Career Pathways
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Visit the North Dakota Early Childhood Training Calendar to find current listing of trainings offered.
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Step 3: Activities and Experiences
Children succeed when their providers know them well, understand their levels of development, and provide meaningful activities and experiences that build upon children's strengths and development. When children have meaningful experiences, they are better prepared for school, work, and life.
Teaching Strategies GOLD Resources
- Model Implementation Plan
- The Model Implementation Plan is a visual road map that outlines the recommended professional development, best practices, and resources that will support a successful first year of implementation.
- Preparing for Implementation
- The Preparing for Implementation Document helps you reflect on pre-implementation key features: identifying measures of success, building a professional development plan, planning for logistics, and reviewing fidelity FAQs.
- Getting Started Checklists
- The Getting Started Checklists, each designed with a specific type of user in mind, provide tactical steps so you can feel confident in independently getting started with GOLD.
- User Guides
- The GOLD User Guides, each designed with a specific type of user in mind, provide you with the comprehensive collection of steps and year-round support to ensure a successful GOLD implementation.
- GOLD Objectives for Development and Learning: Birth through Third Grade
- GOLD Progressions: Birth through Third Grade
- Teaching Strategies Support Portal for GOLD
Quality Improvement Planning
Continuous quality improvement is a process to ensure programs are systematically and intentionally improving services and increasing positive outcomes for the children and families they serve. It is proactive, not reactive. A continuous quality improvement environment is one in which data is collected and used to make positive changes, even when things are going well. The process is meant to be ongoing and generally follows a cycle. Through the process of continuous quality improvement, early care and education programs are able to:
- Identify needs or barriers
- Develop strategies of change
- Implement those strategies
- Make decisions about ongoing and long-lasting improvements
The Quality Improvement Plan is part of the continuous quality improvement process in which programs assess their strengths and opportunities for growth, set achievable goals, and develop realistic plans for improvement.
The Introduction to GOLD is a bundle of courses that is delivered online, self-service, through the MyTeachingStrategies platform. Attendees must be participating in Bright & Early ND, working towards a Step 3 or Step 4 Quality Rating, and have an active Teaching Strategies account.
Register for Introduction to GOLD
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Step 4: Relationships and Interactions
All children benefit from being in warm, supportive environments where they can take risks, learn new things, and develop strong relationships with their caregivers and peers. When children experience high-quality interactions, they are better prepared for school, work, and life.
Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)
The Classroom Assessment Scoring System® (CLASS®) is a research-based method of measuring, evaluating, and improving teacher-child interactions. The QRIS utilizes three scales, each designed for a different segment of the early childhood field.
- The Infant CLASS® is designed to assess effective teacher-child interactions in care environments serving children birth to 18 months.
- The Toddler CLASS® is designed to assess effective teacher-child interactions in care environments serving children 19 to 35 months.
- The PreK CLASS® is designed to assess effective teacher-child interactions in care environments serving children ages 3 to 5 years.
Additional Resources
Quality Improvement Planning
Continuous quality improvement is a process to ensure programs are systematically and intentionally improving services and increasing positive outcomes for the children and families they serve. It is proactive, not reactive. A continuous quality improvement environment is one in which data is collected and used to make positive changes, even when things are going well. The process is meant to be ongoing and generally follows a cycle. Through the process of continuous quality improvement, early care and education programs are able to:
- Identify needs or barriers
- Develop strategies of change
- Implement those strategies
- Make decisions about ongoing and long-lasting improvements
The Quality Improvement Plan is part of the continuous quality improvement process in which programs assess their strengths and opportunities for growth, set achievable goals, and develop realistic plans for improvement.
Growing Futures Help Center
- Individual Accounts
- Career Pathways
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Aim4Excellence™ Director Credential
Aim4Excellence™ is an online national director credential for early childhood administrators. The credential focuses on the essential knowledge and skills directors need to deliver high-quality programming for children. Aim4Excellence™ includes nine self-paced modules. Modules can be taken for credit or CEUs through University of North Dakota (UND) or for noncredit. Aim4Excellence™ is a project of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Visit the North Dakota Early Childhood Training Calendar to find current listing of trainings offered.
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
The Introduction to the Infant CLASS®, Introduction to the Toddler CLASS®, and Introduction to the Pre-K CLASS® are a bundle of courses that are delivered online, self-service, through the myTeachstone platform. Attendees must be participating in Bright & Early ND, working towards a Step 4 Quality Rating, and have an active myTeachstone account.
The Introduction to the Infant CLASS® is a bundle of courses that includes the following:
- Learn About Relational Climate (15 minutes)
- Learn About Teacher Sensitivity (15 minutes)
- Learn About Facilitated Exploration (15 minutes)
- Learn About Early Language Support (15 minutes)
- Infant-Toddler Caregiving: Responding with Developmentally Appropriate Practice (30 minutes)
- Infant-Toddler Caregiving: Observing Children’s Cues (15 minutes)
- Infant-Toddler Caregiving: Nurturing Attachment with Teacher Sensitivity (20 minutes)
Register for the Introduction to the Infant CLASS
The Introduction to the Toddler CLASS® is a bundle of courses that includes the following:
- Learn About Positive Climate (15 minutes)
- Learn About Negative Climate (15 minutes)
- Learn About Teacher Sensitivity (15 minutes)
- Learn About Regard for Child Perspectives (15 minutes)
- Learn About Behavior Guidance (15 minutes)
- Learn About Facilitation of Learning and Development (15 minutes)
- Learn About Quality of Feedback (15 minutes)
- Learn About Language Modeling (15 minutes)
Register for the Introduction to the Toddler CLASS
The Introduction to the Pre-K CLASS® is a bundle of courses including the following:
- Learn About Positive Climate (15 minutes)
- Learn About Negative Climate (15 minutes)
- Learn About Teacher Sensitivity (15 minutes)
- Learn About Regard for Student Perspectives (15 minutes)
- Learn About Behavior Management (15 minutes)
- Learn About Productivity (15 minutes)
- Learn About Instructional Learning Formats (15 minutes)
- Learn About Concept Development (15 minutes)
- Learn About Quality of Feedback (15 minutes)
- Learn About Language Modeling (15 minutes)
Register for the Introduction to the Pre-K CLASS
The North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry, Growing Futures, is the source for training, education, and employment verification. All training must appear on an individual’s Growing Futures Learning Record as approved clock hours. Programs that experience turnover in leadership positions must also submit a Professional Development Action Plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Download step-by-step instructions or follow the steps below.
Step 1: Go to the Growing Futures website at www.ndgrowingfutures.org, click Login.
Step 2: Log in to your Growing Futures individual account by entering your email address and password.
Step 3: To access your organization profile, click on the green box in the upper right-hand corner. Then, select your organization profile.
Step 4: On the left side navigation, click on Quality Dashboard.
Step 5: Click on the green Apply for Cases button.
Step 6: Scroll down until you find QRIS-Bright & Early ND, click on the green Apply button.
Step 7: There are multiple sections in the application that you will need to review. You can track your progress by viewing the (confirmed, review, and incomplete) icons.
Step 8: Once all sections have been reviewed and confirmed, click on the green Submit Application button.
Step 9: You will need to agree to the Bright & Early ND Participation Agreement and click Continue.
Step 10: To submit your application, click Yes.
Step 11: After your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive a confirmation email with next steps.
Download step-by-step instructions or follow the steps below.
Step 1: Go to the Growing Futures website at www.ndgrowingfutures.org, click Login.
Step 2: Log in to your Growing Futures individual account by entering your email address and password.
Step 3: To access your organization profile, click on the green box in the upper right-hand corner. Then, select your organization profile.
Step 4: On the Classrooms tab, click edit to update program enrollment information. See the step-by-step instructions for additional details.
Step 5: Check over the information entered, click Update when finished.
Step 6: Click edit to add a ‘Licensee/Owner’ (for Family and Group licensed programs) or a ‘Director of Record’ (for Preschool and Center-based programs).
Step 7: Click Add Director, under ‘Edit Licensee/Owner’ (for Family and Group licensed programs) or ‘Edit Director of Record’ (for Preschool and Center-based programs).
Step 8: A list of the organization’s current employees will generate. Click select to assign this role. Enter the date the ‘Licensee/Owner’ (for Family and Group licensed programs) or ‘Director of Record’ (for Preschool and Center-based programs) began employment in that role, when completed click confirm. Check over the information listed, click Return when finished.
Step 9: Click the Add button to create a new classroom or group. See the step-by-step instructions for additional details.
Download step-by-step instructions or follow the steps below.
Step 1: Go to the Growing Futures website at www.ndgrowingfutures.org, click Login.
Step 2: Log in to your Growing Futures individual account by entering your email address and password.
Step 3: To access your organization profile, click on the green box in the upper right-hand corner. Then, select your organization profile.
Step 4: On the left side navigation, click on Quality Dashboard.
Step 5: Scroll down to locate the QRIS - Bright & Early ND case. Click on the green Case Details button.
Step 6: On the right-hand side, click on the green View Quality Standards Inventory button.
Step 7: You will need to review each of section of the Quality Standards inventory. You can track your progress by viewing the (confirmed, review, and incomplete) icons.
Step 8: Read through the directions of each indicator carefully and complete the required checkboxes. Some indicators may require evidence to be added, others may not, see step-by-step instructions for examples.
Step 9: Programs can work on their Quality Standards Inventory throughout the Bright & Early ND cohort. To ensure your hard work is captured click the Save button. You must read through and complete all the indicators prior to submitting your Quality Standards Inventory.
Step 10: To submit your Quality Standards Inventory for review, click on the Submit for Quality Rating button.
Step 11: Click Yes to confirm you are ready to Submit for Quality Rating.
Questions? Contact Us
Early Childhood Section
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 325
Bismarck, ND 58505-0250
Phone: (701) 328-2115
Toll-Free: (800) 997-8516
Relay ND TTY: 711
Email: dhsec@nd.gov