Colorado Shines is the State of Colorado’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). It assigns a quality rating to licensed early care and education programs caring for children 5 years of age and younger. All programs that fall into this category are automatically a Level 1 in Colorado Shines until they take the steps to achieve a higher rating level.

  • Level 1: Your program is currently licensed with the State of Colorado.
  • Level 2: Your program is licensed and in good standing, plus:
    • has a quality improvement plan in place
    • has conducted the L2 Quality Indicator Program Assessment
    • has registered staff in the Colorado Shines Professional Development Information System (PDIS)
    • has completed Colorado Shines Level 2 E-learning Courses
  • Levels 3-5: Your program is licensed and in good standing, plus:
    • has completed the Level 2 requirements
    • has been assessed and rated by a Colorado Shines Quality Ratings Assessor* based on points in five categories (workforce qualifications, family partnerships, administration, learning environment, child health)

Colorado Shines is fee-free for programs to use.

Our Quality Support Team is here to support you in your Colorado Shines rating journey. Quality Support Coaching is free of charge. We often have trainings on Colorado Shines and the ECERS, ITERS and FCCERS Environment Rating Scale tools.

Click here to learn more about Colorado Shines.

If you are interested in our Quality Support, call ECCLC at 970-377-3388.