Saskatchewan, Canada, 2019 - 2021
Focus: Key Indicator study and Weighted Risk Assessment study for the Ministry of Education in the Province of Saskatchewan
Project Activities: Key Indicator study as well as trends in regulatory compliance; Home-based Weighted Risk Assessment.
The Saskatchewan key indicator system: The first step in developing a differential monitoring approach August 2019
Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide the Ministry of Education in the Province of Saskatchewan with the results of their key indicator study as well as trends in regulatory compliance in the Province as compared to the ECPQIM International Data Base Project. This report will provide a brief introduction and overview to licensing key indicators, overview data, licensing key indicator methodology, and the results from the study depicting the statistics as well as the key indicator rules. The use of Licensing Key Indicator Rules is to help make an overall monitoring system more efficient and effective through a use of predictive rules/regulations. It is a component system within a differential monitoring approach which targets the types of monitoring visits to programs based upon regulatory compliance history. The other component system deals with weighted risk assessment but this system will not be addressed in this report. The following section of definitions will assist in distinguishing amongst the various systems and methodologies.
The Saskatchewan centre and home based weighted risk assessment study October 2019
Abstract
This report will describe the Saskatchewan Centre and Home Based Weighted Risk Assessment Study providing the detailed weights of each service type. The Weighted Risk Assessment Methodology is the other abbreviated inspection approach in Differential Monitoring. When coupled with the Licensing Key Indicator Methodology it provides a cost effective and efficient monitoring and assessment of early care and education programs.
Validation research studies of key indicator and risk assessment methodologies in the province of Saskatchewan March 2020
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to document the validation process for the Province of Saskatchewan’s Licensing Key Indicator Rules and their Risk Assessment Rules. These studies were completed in 2019- 2020 and were completed with a sample of child care centres and homes in the province. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine if the measurement protocol inherent in the key indicator and risk assessment methodologies were consistent and produced the desired results. Presently the province has convened a program quality work group which when they have finished their work, it should provide guidance to undertake the other three validations of licensing systems: standards, outputs, and outcome validations (see Zellman & Fiene (2012), Validation Framework for Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, ACF Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation).
For the purposes of this report, this validation study will only focus on the abbreviated checklist to be utilized in the province of Saskatchewan which consists of the key indicator and risk assessment rules. Saskatchewan is one of the first jurisdictions to engage in a validation study utilizing both the key indicator and risk assessment methodologies. In the past with validation studies they have been done in validating either the key indicator or the risk assessment methodology. This study is unique and is highly recommended as an approach for other jurisdictions in moving the licensing, regulatory science, program monitoring, and evaluation fields forward.
Saskatchewan differential monitoring, key indicator and risk assessment pilot study June 2021
Summary
This report will provide the results of a pilot study to determine the validity and efficacy of Saskatchewan’s Differential Monitoring, Key Indicator, and Risk Assessment Regulatory Compliance/Licensing System. This is the most comprehensive validation study to date which incorporates key indicators and risk assessment in tandem within a differential monitoring approach. Other validation studies have validated key indicators or risk assessment but in separate studies. Also, this validation study incorporates eligibility criteria as well as random rules in order to fully implement Saskatchewan’s Differential Monitoring system.
The Province of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Education followed the full development of a differential monitoring approach by instituting a comprehensive review of their rules and standards for child care centres and homes. They then developed and instituted a key indicator tool, followed by a risk assessment set of rules. Once these were developed a series of eligibility criteria were designed to determine which programs were eligible for abbreviated reviews. Focus groups and training occurred to fully explain and obtain feedback related to the new differential monitoring approach. Based upon these criteria, a Policies and Procedures Manual was developed. Both the key indicator and risk assessment methodologies were individually validated. While the pilot study was being planned, the Province developed a Quality Indicator Tool, the Saskatchewan Early Care and Education Program Quality Indicators Tool which can be used in a tandem fashion with the licensing key indicator tool and the risk assessment rules. Now that the pilot study is completed, full implementation of the differential monitoring system should occur. All of the above referenced studies, manuals, etc. are contained within this report after this introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion sections.