Author(s): Thelma Harms; Richard M. Clifford; Debby Cryer

General References

The long-anticipated new version of the internationally recognized Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale(R), ECERS-3, focuses on the full range of needs of preschool- and kindergarten-aged children. This widely used, comprehensive assessment tool measures both environmental provisions and teacher-child interactions that affect the broad developmental needs of young children, including:

• Cognitive
• Social-emotional
• Physical
• Health and safety

ECERS-3 also includes additional Items assessing developmentally appropriate literacy and math activities.

Designed for preschool, kindergarten, and child care classrooms serving children 3 through 5 years of age, ECERS-3:

• Provides a smooth transition for those already using ECERS-R.
• Emphasizes the role of the teacher in creating an environment conducive to developmental gains.
• Is designed to predict child outcomes more accurately and with greater precision.
• Provides a stronger method of distinguishing between good and truly excellent programs.
• Offers a complete training program with ongoing support available at the Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI) website (www.ersi.info).

ECERS-3 is appropriate for state and district-wide QRIS and continuous improvement; program evaluation by directors and supervisors; teacher self-evaluation; monitoring by agency staff; and teacher education. The established reliability and long term evidence of validity of the ERS family of instruments make this new version of ECERS particularly useful for RTTT-ELC accountability and research.

Suitable for use in inclusive and culturally diverse programs, ECERS-3 subscales evaluate:

• Space and Furnishings
• Personal Care Routines
• Language and Literacy
• Learning Activities
• Interaction
• Program Structure