H 7908Children

State Affairs and Government - Department of Human Services

This bill changes the childcare quality rating system to use an average of standards rather than strict minimums.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Education

Plain-English Summary

This legislation modifies the "BrightStars" voluntary quality rating system used for childcare facilities in Rhode Island. Currently, facilities are rated on various standards. This bill changes the calculation method so that a facility's star rating is determined by averaging the sum of all applicable standards, rather than potentially being held back by a single lower score. It requires the Department of Human Services to ensure this calculation method is transparent and consistent. Additionally, it confirms that facilities with national accreditation will automatically receive a five-star rating.

For younger readers

In Rhode Island, there is a system that gives stars to places that take care of kids, like daycares, to show how good they are. Right now, the way they give out stars can be very strict. This new law changes the math used to give out the stars. Instead of having to be perfect in every single way to get a high score, the score will be an average of how well they do on everything. This helps parents know how good a place is overall without one small mistake ruining the score.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Childcare centersFamily childcare homesParents of young childrenDepartment of Human ServicesPreschools

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Potentially aids smaller, community-based childcare providers in low-income areas by allowing an averaging system, preventing a single metric from disproportionately lowering their rating and funding eligibility.
Increases transparency in government processes by mandating that the Department of Human Services make the rating methodology public and consistently applied, ensuring fairness for all providers.
May encourage more providers to participate in the state's voluntary quality rating system, expanding the network of monitored childcare options available to working families.
Risk of diluting quality standards by allowing facilities to mask deficiencies in specific critical areas with high scores in other areas through the averaging calculation.
Does not provide actual financial support or resources to help struggling childcare centers improve, but rather changes the grading curve to make ratings appear higher.
Maintains the automatic five-star rating for nationally accredited facilities, potentially bypassing local state oversight and specific community standards that the state QRIS aims to uphold.

For Conservatives

Reduces the regulatory burden on private childcare businesses by adopting a more flexible averaging scoring system rather than a rigid pass/fail metric for every individual standard.
Promotes government accountability by requiring the Department of Human Services to maintain a transparent, publicly available methodology for how they rate private businesses.
Respects private sector standards by continuing to recognize national accreditation as a substitute for state-run rating assessments (automatic five-star status).
Expands the administrative state by granting the Department of Human Services additional authority to promulgate new rules and regulations regarding appeals and calculations.
Continues government interference in the private childcare market through a state-managed rating system rather than allowing the free market to determine quality through competition.
Uses taxpayer resources to develop and manage complex rating methodologies for private businesses, which could be viewed as an unnecessary government function.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 15 additions

SECTION 1. Section 42-12-23.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-12 entitled "Department of Human Services" is hereby amended to read as follows: 42-12-23.1. Quality of early care and education and school-age child care through voluntary quality rating system.

(a) There is hereby established a voluntary quality rating system which will assess quality in early care and education programs and school-age child care. For purposes of this section, early care and education programs and school-age child care shall mean programs licensed under chapter 12.5 of title 42 and approved under chapter 48 of title 16, including, without limitation, childcare centers, family childcare homes, group family childcare homes, school-age childcare programs and preschools, but excluding child placement agencies. The voluntary quality rating system is established to promote continuous quality improvement of programs and to further the goals of Rhode Island’s “starting right” initiative.

(b) The department of human services, the department of children, youth and families, the department of health, the department of elementary and secondary education, and other partners and agencies shall share information and work cooperatively with the Rhode Island quality rating system, a public-private partnership, to ensure that Rhode Island children have access to quality early care and education programs and school-age child care.

(c) The voluntary quality rating system shall also provide a mechanism to gather data about program quality, and shall report this information to parents, providers, and other persons interested in the quality of early care and education programs and school-age childcare services in Rhode Island.

(d) Any licensed child care facility including, but not limited to, a licensed child care center, licensed family child care home, group family child care home, or licensed school age program, that applies for a BrightStars quality rating and improvement system (“QRIS”) rating shall have the sum of all applicable standards averaged to determine the final awarded rating or star level.

(e) The department of human services shall ensure that the methodology used to calculate the final awarded rating under subsection (d) of this section is transparent, publicly available, and consistently applied to all participating licensed child care facilities.

(f) Nothing in subsection (d) of this section shall alter the existing provision that any licensed child care facility upon receiving national accreditation status shall be awarded a five star overall assessment through the QRIS.

(g) The department shall promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including guidance on the calculation methodology, appeals process, and public reporting of ratings.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.