(a)  There is hereby established a voluntary quality rating system which will assess quality in early care and education programs and school-age child care. For purposes of this section, early care and education programs and school-age child care shall mean programs licensed under chapter 12.5 of Title 42 and approved under chapter 48 of Title 16, including, without limitation, childcare centers, family childcare homes, group family childcare homes, school-age childcare programs and preschools, but excluding child placement agencies. The voluntary quality rating system is established to promote continuous quality improvement of programs and to further the goals of Rhode Island’s “starting right” initiative.

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(b)  The department of human services, the department of children, youth and families, the department of health, the department of elementary and secondary education, and other partners and agencies shall share information and work cooperatively with the Rhode Island quality rating system, a public-private partnership, to ensure that Rhode Island children have access to quality early care and education programs and school-age child care.

(c)  The voluntary quality rating system shall also provide a mechanism to gather data about program quality, and shall report this information to parents, providers, and other persons interested in the quality of early care and education programs and school-age childcare services in Rhode Island.