Developing Performance Measures

In their article, "Preparing to Evaluate Your Child Care Center's Performance," which is included in the Exchange Essential, Measuring Program Quality and Staff Performance, Cindy Ratekin and Gary Bess outline the following elements that can be measured in a program evaluation:

• Desired outcomes:  The desired anticipated change, improvement, or standard of performance that the child care center intends to meet.
• Target population/grouping:  The target of change, improvement, or level of analysis that is to be affected.
• Desired change:  The level of change quantifiably determined (e.g., percentage of improvement or attainment of a specific level of performance).
• Baseline data:  Current information on the child care center in a quantifiably understandable form.
• Timeframe: The period during which change, improvement, or comparison against standard is made.
• Measurement indicator:  The method and specific measurement that your child care center will rely upon to determine whether change, improvement, or achievement has been met.

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