Georgia's Childcare Quality Rating System: What It Means for Directors and Staff
Georgia's childcare quality rating system is Quality Rated, which awards one, two or three stars to programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
It is run by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).
Participation is voluntary, but since December 31, 2021 a program must be Quality Rated — or hold Provisional or Probationary Status — to receive CAPS subsidy funding.
Ratings combine portfolio points with Environment Rating Scale (ERS) classroom observations, and eligible staff can receive the annual $500 Quality Rated Workforce Bonus.
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At a glance
Quality Rated, which assigns one, two, or three stars to early education and school-age care programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).
Voluntary, but since December 31, 2021 providers must be Quality Rated (or in Provisional or Probationary Status) to receive CAPS subsidy funding.
One, two or three stars, for programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
Environment Rating Scale (ERS) classroom assessments by Quality Rated Assessors, combined with portfolio points.
The annual $500 Quality Rated Workforce Bonus for eligible staff in rated centers and family child care learning homes; the manual notes funds are contingent on availability.
Georgia rating levels
- One StarRating level
The lowest of the three star levels. Quality Rated assigns one, two, or three stars to programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements, and staff in eligible 1-star centers and family child care learning homes are within the Quality Rated Workforce Bonus group.
- Two StarRating level
The middle level, and the point where the center-side Commitment to Quality (C2Q) payments begin: those quarterly payments go to CAPS programs rated 2 or 3 stars.
- Three StarRating level
The highest of the three levels. CAPS programs rated 2 or 3 stars receive C2Q quarterly payments, and eligible staff receive the annual $500 Quality Rated Workforce Bonus.
- Provisional or Probationary StatusOther
Not a star rating. As of December 31, 2021, providers must be Quality Rated or in this status to receive CAPS subsidy funding.
What is Georgia's QRIS called, and is participation required?
Georgia's quality rating and improvement system is Quality Rated, run by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).
Quality Rated assigns one, two, or three stars to early education and school-age care programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
Participation is voluntary.
Since December 31, 2021, however, child care providers must be Quality Rated — or be in Provisional or Probationary Status — to receive CAPS subsidy funding, which makes a rating a practical requirement for any program that serves CAPS families.
“As of December 31, 2021, all child care providers must be Quality Rated (or in the Provisional or Probationary Status) to receive CAPS funding.”
What are Quality Rated's rating levels?
Quality Rated has three levels: one, two, or three stars, assigned to programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
The pages our research read do not itemize the portfolio point ranges that separate one star level from the next, so a director working toward a specific star target should read the current Quality Rated Program Manual or ask DECAL what each level requires.
Two of the three levels carry center-side money: Commitment to Quality (C2Q) quarterly payments go to CAPS programs rated 2 or 3 stars.
“Quality Rated assigns one, two, or three stars to early education and school-age care programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.”
What staff credentials and training count toward a higher rating?
Staff qualifications fall under Portfolio Standard 1, which Quality Rated names 'Director and Teacher Qualifications and GaPDS Verification.' Under that standard, all instructional staff and administrative staff must be registered with the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS).
For centers, GaPDS registration is a rating requirement rather than a licensing one: the center licensing rule (591-1-1) does not make GaPDS membership a licensing requirement, but Quality Rated requires it.
What our research did not capture is how individual credentials map into portfolio points toward a given star level, so the current program manual and DECAL are where to confirm what specific credentials earn.
“All instructional staff and administrative staff must be registered with the GaPDS.”
Which observation tool does Quality Rated use?
Quality Rated scores two kinds of quality.
Structural quality is documented through the program's portfolio; process quality is demonstrated through Environment Rating Scale (ERS) assessments of classrooms completed by highly reliable Quality Rated Assessors.
A star rating combines both.
The pages our research read name the ERS as the classroom observation but do not specify which ERS scale applies to which classroom or age group, so confirm the classroom-level detail with DECAL when a rating is scheduled.
“Process Quality: demonstrated through Environment Rating Scale (ERS) assessments of classrooms completed by highly reliable Quality Rated Assessors.”
What incentives come with higher ratings, for the center and for staff?
Two programs tie money to the rating.
For staff, the Quality Rated Workforce Bonus (QRWB) is an annual $500 payment to eligible child care program staff working in eligible Quality Rated child care centers and family child care learning homes — programs rated 1, 2 or 3 stars all fall within it.
The manual notes the funds are contingent on availability, so confirm the current year with DECAL.
For the center, Commitment to Quality (C2Q) quarterly payments go to CAPS programs rated 2 or 3 stars.
The pages our research read do not state C2Q payment amounts, so DECAL is where to confirm what a rating qualifies a program for.
“The Quality Rated Workforce Bonus (QRWB) is an annual payment of $500 provided to eligible child care program staff working in eligible child care centers and family child care learning homes.”
How directors prepare for a Quality Rated rating
The published criteria define the preparation surface.
Portfolio Standard 1 requires every instructional and administrative staff member to be registered with GaPDS, so registry records are the first item to bring current.
The rating combines portfolio points — structural quality — with ERS assessments of classrooms by Quality Rated Assessors — process quality — so both the portfolio documentation and the classroom assessments feed the rating.
For a program that serves CAPS families, the rating is also a funding condition: since December 31, 2021, providers must be Quality Rated, or hold Provisional or Probationary Status, to receive CAPS funding.
Because the requirements live in a versioned manual — v2.7.6 as of June 2025 — confirm the current manual with DECAL before an application or re-rating rather than working from an older copy.
GaPDS: the registry behind the rating
Georgia's workforce registry and professional development system for early childhood staff is the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS).
The center licensing rule takes a both-and approach to records: center training records may be kept in the staff member's personnel file and/or in GaPDS, and the licensing rule itself does not make GaPDS membership a licensing requirement.
Quality Rated does.
Portfolio Standard 1 requires all instructional and administrative staff to be registered with the GaPDS, which makes registration a rating requirement that reaches instructional and administrative staff alike, not only directors.
“Evidence of orientation and training shall be documented and maintained in the Personnel file and/or Georgia's workforce registry and professional development system of each Staff member”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Georgia licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state quality rating system (QRIS) series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Georgia, see daycare director requirements in Georgia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quality Rated required for Georgia childcare providers?
Quality Rated participation is voluntary.
The financial hook is CAPS: as of December 31, 2021, all child care providers must be Quality Rated — or be in Provisional or Probationary Status — to receive CAPS subsidy funding.
A program that does not take CAPS funding is outside that condition, though Quality Rated remains the state's quality rating for programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
Confirm your program's situation with DECAL.
What is the Georgia Quality Rated Workforce Bonus?
The Quality Rated Workforce Bonus (QRWB) is an annual payment of $500 to eligible child care program staff working in eligible child care centers and family child care learning homes rated 1, 2 or 3 stars.
Eligibility conditions apply, and the program manual notes the funds are contingent on availability, so confirm the current year's status with DECAL.
What is GaPDS in Georgia early childhood education?
GaPDS is the Georgia Professional Development System, Georgia's workforce registry and professional development system for early childhood staff.
The center licensing rule does not make GaPDS membership a licensing requirement — training records may be kept in a staff member's personnel file and/or in GaPDS.
Quality Rated does require it: all instructional staff and administrative staff must be registered with the GaPDS.
What observation tool does Georgia Quality Rated use?
Environment Rating Scale (ERS) assessments of classrooms, completed by highly reliable Quality Rated Assessors, demonstrate process quality; the program's portfolio points demonstrate structural quality.
A star rating combines the two.
Our research did not capture which ERS scale applies to which classroom or age group, so ask DECAL what an assessment covers for your program's rooms.
How many stars can a Georgia program earn under Quality Rated?
Three.
Quality Rated assigns one, two, or three stars to early education and school-age care programs that meet or exceed the minimum state requirements.
The point ranges behind each star level were not captured in our research; the Quality Rated Program Manual on DECAL's Quality Rated site and DECAL itself are where to confirm what a specific star level requires.
More Georgia Resources
Sources
- Bright from the Start: Georgia DECAL — Quality Rated (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Quality Rated Program Manual v2.7.6 (June 2025), Georgia DECAL (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 591-1-1 — Rules and Regulations for Child Care Learning Centers (Georgia Secretary of State) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).