Herts Quality Standards

Hertfordshire Quality Standards (HQS) is a county led scheme that ensures childcare and education providers are constantly improving and developing through a process of self-evaluation. Childcare providers include day nurseries, child minders, pre-schools and foundation stage classes.

How does it work?

Childcare providers are asked to consider their current practices and look at ways to continue to improve and develop. This can include enabling staff to do additional training. The scheme is supported by external mentors who help the childcare provider through the HQS process. Following an external assessment, successful providers are awarded with the HQS blue balloon kitemark. This award lasts for three years and parents are encouraged to look for this quality achievement when selecting childcare.

Our award

We are pleased to say that we achieved our frst HQS accreditation in 2011 and completed the required annual HQS reviews in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

To ensure that we continue to offer high quality childcare and education we restarted the full HQS accreditation process again in 2014; we are happy to say that we achieved the award again in March 2015.