Quality Care & Early Learning

Quality Counts California

Quality Counts California is a state initiative to measure and improve the quality in early care and education settings. High quality early childhood education is one of the key indicators to a child’s success in school and in life.

QUALITY MATTERS…a STRONG START for kids

Santa Clara County has developed a local system for determining the quality of early learning sites in the county. FIRST 5 Santa Clara, along with key partners, help fund and develop QUALITY MATTERS…a STRONG START for kids. This system provides a framework that starts with measuring quality care and establishing a pathway for continuous quality improvement. By providing support to programs, QUALITY MATTERS…a STRONG START for kids ensures that children and families in our county receive the best care possible. Our goal is to promote a whole-child approach that brings together the systems of early learning, child health and wellness, and family strengthening and support to ensure that we can best serve children and their families in our community.

Finding Quality Care

QUALITY MATTERS brings together a network of center-based programs and family child care homes that are committed to high-quality early learning practices. QUALITY MATTERS rated sites actively engage in improving and strengthening the services they provide families and children.