Gateway to Quality staff include:

Charlotte Ferretti
Principal Investigator

Gretchen Ames
Project Coordinator

Kelly K. Lopez
Barbra Blender
Assessment Team Co-Coordinator/Anchor

Assessors
Betty Rappaport
Vanessa Fontana
Manuel Kichi Wong
Elaine Leung
Laura Monterosso
Katherine Murphy
Christine O'Brien
Rosamaria Palafox
Annabella Tong

Judy Bonhiver
Office Manager

Eric Miller
Web Development

The assessment tools used in this project were developed by Thelma Harms and her colleagues, at the Frank Porter Graham Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There are four environment rating scales, each designed for a different segment of the early childhood field.

  • Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised Edition - designed to assess group programs for children of preschool through kindergarten age, 2½ through 5
  • Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale, Revised Edition - designed to assess group programs for children from birth to 2½ years of age
  • Family Day Care Rating Scale - designed to assess family child care programs conducted in a provider's home.
  • The School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale - designed to assess group-care programs for children of school age, 5 to 12.

Each one of the scales has items to evaluate: Physical Environment; Basic Care; Curriculum; Interaction; Schedule and Program Structure; and Parent and Staff Education.

Each item is rated on a scale from 1 (inadequate) to 7 (excellent). The items are averaged for an overall score. Each assessment covers one classroom or family child-care home.