Evaluating quality in early childhood education used to be about the physical environment. Or, at least as much about the physical environment as the interpersonal relationships.
Are the learning materials in good condition? Is there enough space between those materials on shelves? Are the shelves open or closed? Are there rugs and tables?
These questions make sense — they’re observable, verifiable. They can be regulated.
The very definition of quality in early childhood education has evolved. The companies, organizations, and agencies that build observation frameworks and quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) have arrived at the same conclusion. We’ve learned that teacher-child interaction matter more than any checklist of physical items.
This breakthrough is reshaping how we support teachers’ professional development, how we keep them in the profession, and how we define excellence in early childhood education.
Just about everyone agrees: There’s one key factor driving child outcomes. It’s the back-and-forth exchanges between caring adults and curious children. The science is clear: Responsive interactions build brains. And they’re the heart of early childhood education.
Almost every major quality framework is evolving to reflect that science. States are rewriting their standards. Assessment tools are shifting their emphasis from just rating programs to empowering teachers.
The Dismantling of Checklists: How Every Early Childhood Quality Framework Is Evolving
Early childhood programs have responded to the massive amounts of research supporting the focus on conversational turns. The balance has shifted from a major focus on environment — which is still important — to focusing more on interpersonal relationships. They are fundamentally reimagining what quality in early childhood education means. For example, CLASS, among the most prominent of classroom observation frameworks, is built around teacher-child interactions.
Quality improvement systems are making concrete changes as well. Texas Rising Star revised its entire framework in 2021, weighting teacher-child interactions at 40% of total assessment. Alabama Quality Stars now requires programs to focus on what research tells us grows the strongest brains. Ohio Step Up to Quality bases top ratings just as much on adult-child interactions as on the physical learning environment.
The Environmental Rating Scale has also adapted. ECERS-3 “places more emphasis than the ECERS-R did on the role of the teacher” in supporting children’s development. Quality environments enable quality interactions. They don’t replace them.
“Development happens through co-construction,” says Veronica Fernandez, Vice President of Impact at Teachstone. “Children learn more when they’re actively participating with someone who is genuinely interested in what they think and what they’re trying to do.”
The shift from checklists to conversations is now clear across every major quality framework. But knowing what to measure doesn’t automatically change what happens in classrooms each day.
Bridging the Gap Between Assessment and Improvement
Quality frameworks are great at showing where programs stand. They set clear benchmarks. They provide valuable data during observations. What they can’t do is guide teachers through day-to-day interactions with children.
Think about it. Annual or quarterly observations capture snapshots. They help programs understand their current level. But between those assessment periods, teachers need actionable feedback on how they’re connecting with each individual child.
Research shows significant gaps even in high-rated programs. Far too many children experience language isolation. These children receive minimal back-and-forth interaction throughout most of their day. Dual language learners face particular challenges when teachers don’t speak their heritage language. And toddlers, who are in the most critical developmental window, are most at risk of experiencing language isolation.
What Teachers Actually Need
Teachers need professional development that highlights what they already do well. And data that shows their progress with individual children, something to add to their understanding of the classroom as a whole. They need tools that fit into existing routines without adding a bunch of extra hours to their day.
“[Teachers] deserve the very same time, the very same intentional conversation, the attentiveness, the listening to the details, the providing support. … We also need those relationships to be uplifted,” says Lesha Buchbinder, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Lake County in Florida.
They need support that empowers their growth rather than evaluates their performance.
More and more high quality early childhood education programs recognize this. Assessment tools and professional development tools serve different purposes. Both matter. But they work the best when they work together.
How LENA Grow Works Alongside Your Quality Initiatives
Different Tools, Shared Purpose
Quality improvement frameworks set standards. They help early childhood programs define what excellence looks like. Periodic observations provide benchmarks showing where programs stand.
However, job-embedded, data-driven feedback enables continuous improvement between those assessments. At LENA, we’ve learned that when teachers receive information about their interactions, they set weekly goals and track progress. And they’re happier because they get to see the impacts of the changes they’re making day-to-day.
LENA Grow is a five-week professional development program giving early childhood educators proof that what they do makes a big impact. And it’s the complete opposite of a checklist.
Together, these tools create a complete system: measurement plus improvement.
What Daily Feedback Makes Possible
LENA’s technology measures conversational turns throughout entire days. Not just during observation windows. Every interaction counts. And it comes as a part of the LENA Grow professional development program.
Teachers receive individualized reports showing their engagement with each child. The data identifies strengths worth celebrating and opportunities for growth. Week by week, progress becomes visible.
The LENA Grow five-week coaching cycle works because it’s built on teacher agency. They choose their focus areas based on their own data. Success builds confidence, which fuels more growth.
Results appear quickly — in both teacher satisfaction and child outcomes.
What This Means for Your Work
Imagine a complete ecosystem for quality improvement in early childhood education.
Observation tools like CLASS and ERS provide benchmarks showing current performance. Quality standards define excellence. Daily feedback tools enable continuous improvement between assessments. Teachers feel supported rather than evaluated.
Your Next Steps
Program leaders might consider how quality data translates into daily practice support. Explore tools bridging assessment and improvement. Request a LENA Grow demo to see integration in action.
Policy makers can think strategically about complementary tools in their early childhood ecosystem. Support early childhood professional development that empowers teachers with real-time data.
ECE advocates have the opportunity to champion the shift toward interaction-focused quality. Share research on how to improve quality in early childhood classrooms with stakeholders. Support integrated approaches giving teachers what they need to succeed.
The infrastructure exists. The evidence is strong. The question becomes implementation.
Quality in Early Childhood Education Redefined
The redefinition of quality in early childhood education is happening now. And for the first time, we have tools helping teachers improve these interactions daily with every child.
Checklists will always exist. But quality assessment without improvement support remains incomplete. And coaching without quality benchmarks lacks context.
Together, they create something more powerful than either could alone. A complete ecosystem where every element works in harmony. Where children get the brain-building interactions they need. Where teachers feel empowered to grow. And where quality improvement becomes sustainable.
