Currently over 140 Family Child Care and Center-Based programs in Santa Barbara County voluntarily participate in Quality Counts. These programs are committed to quality improvement and go beyond regulatory licensing requirements to support the children in their care and provide a strong foundation for school readiness and beyond. Congratulations to all the Quality Counts providers for being committed to the rigorous standards associated with high-quality care!

Quality Counts Center-Based programs are rated based on 7 elements, and Family Child Care programs are rated on 5 elements. The scores are combined to determine an overall rating: Not Yet Rated (0), Licensed Quality (1), Committed to Quality (2), Achieving Quality (3), Exceeding Quality (4), and Excelling in Quality (5).

Beginning July 1, 2020, the focus of state and local Quality Counts will be on program improvement. Only sites that have a California State Preschool Program (CSPP) contract with the California Department of Education (CDE) will continue to be rated on a regular basis. Programs currently rated will have their rating extended by 3 or 5 years based on the current rating. Programs that were not yet rated by July 1, 2020, are now noted as proudly participating and will not receive a rating.

To learn more about available child care options in Santa Barbara County, contact Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County. Their trained Referral Specialists will help you connect with programs that are committed to quality care.

Accreditation Key	Program Key
Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children	Demonstration Site for the Outdoor Classroom Project
Accredited by the National Association for Family Child Care	Outdoor Classroom Recognized Site
	Preschool Foods Initiative
	Green Care Provider