Formal Rating and Environment Rating Scales

In YoungStar, a formal rating requires a child care program to have an Environment Rating Scale (ERS) observation performed within some of their classrooms. ERS tools provide an overall picture of the environment within an early childhood setting. ERS tools are used in YoungStar for those programs who want to earn a 4- or 5-Star rating. In-depth information about the scales is available on the Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI) website as well as a Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you are looking for information on how to prepare for a formal rating, please visit the My YoungStar Connect website for resources.

ERS-3 Tools

YoungStar moved to the newly updated Environment Rating Scale-3 (ERS-3) tools on January 2021.

*Note: The School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) has not been updated and therefore YoungStar will continue to use the SACERS-U.

Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-3 (ITERS-3)

Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-3 (ECERS-3)

Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale-3 (FCCERS-3)

School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale-Updated (SACERS-U)

School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale-Updated (SACERS-U)

Used for group child care settings that serve children 5 years through 12 years of age.
The SACERS-U Additional Notes for Clarification document provides further explanation for some of the terms used within the tool.
Wisconsin Interpretation of SACERS-U (2021/22)