NNCC

Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale

National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter

Thelma Harms
Director
Early Childhood Curriculum Development

Richard M. Clifford
Associate Director
Bush Institute for Child and Family Policy

Debby Cryer
Scientist
FPG Child Development Center

Copyright Access Information

The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised Edition (ECERS-R) provides an overall picture of the surroundings that have been created for the children and adults who share an early childhood setting. The ECERS consists of 43 items that assess the quality of the early childhood environment including use of space, materials and experiences to enhance children's development, daily schedule, and supervision. This 43 item scale covers seven categories:

Personal Care Routines,
Space and Furnishings
Language-Reasoning
Activities,
Interactions
Program Structure
Parents and Staff.

Each item is ranked from 1 to 7. A ranking of 1 describes inadequate conditions while a ranking of 7 describes excellent conditions. A training video, instructor's guide, and video guide and training workbook are available to assist with training.

Since the ECERS covers the basic aspects of all early childhood facilities, it can be used in a number of ways by child care facilities, Head Start programs, parent cooperative preschools, private preschool programs, playgroups, Church related preschools, and Kindergarten programs. For instance, if used as a self-study/self improvement guide, inadequate or minimal scores on the ECERS scale indicate areas for emphasis in training and learning. The ECERS can also be used as a pre and post test measure to assess the impact of training and continuing education.

Program Format and Costs:

Video Observations for the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, 35 minute video tape (VHS only) and Video Observation Instructor's Guide for the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. $59.00.

Video Guide and Training Workbook Observations for the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, 20 page booklet. $4.00 each.

Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised Edition 64 page booklet. $11.95. Scoring sheets may be reproduced from the original in the scale.

Target Group:

Center-based care providers and their supervisors, center directors, and agency staff.

To Order, contact:

Teachers College Press
P. O. Box 20
Williston, VT 05495-0020
(800)575-6566

Information, contact:

Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
(212)678-3929
Website: http://www.teacherscollegepress.com/

DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service
Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce
these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only (not for profit beyond the cost of
reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is
included:

FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Internet only
DOCUMENT REVIEW:: Level 2 - North Carolina State University Extension
DOCUMENT SIZE:: 24K or 3 pages
ENTRY DATE:: January 1998