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This article is an adaptation of Bob Siegel's presentation for the Working Forum for Multi-Site Organizations held October 22-24, 2008 in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii.

Aren't we all just a little bit tired of the endless discussions of quality? In the child care industry, you can get away with almost any statement if you simply invoke the phrase "to increase quality." That doesn't mean that any of us, including me, are not passionately committed to doing our very best for young children and their families. However, constant discussion about quality doesn't make it happen. Additionally, simply leaving it in outside hands doesn't assure it will always be so.

Child care (provider) organizations have invested a great amount of time, effort, and funds into creating and refining systems of externally measured and mandated quality assurance. For over two decades, we have participated in accreditation systems operated by NAEYC, NAC, and others. In recent years, ...