Dr Richard Fiene, a research psychologist and regulatory scientist, has spent his professional career in improving the quality of child care in various states, nationally, and internationally. He has done extensive research and publishing on the key components in improving child care quality through an early childhood program quality indicator model of training, technical assistance, quality rating & improvement systems, professional development, mentoring, regulatory science, licensing, risk assessment, differential program monitoring, key indicators, and accreditation. His research has also made significant contributions in regulatory science related to measurement and monitoring systems.
Dr Fiene is a retired professor of human development & psychology (Penn State University) and founding director of the Capital Area Early Childhood Research and Training Institute with Dr Mark Greenberg. He is presently President & Senior Research Psychologist and Regulatory Scientist for the Research Institute for Key Indicators.
Dr Fiene is regarded as a leading international researcher/scholar on human services licensing measurement and differential monitoring systems. His regulatory compliance law of diminishing returns has altered human services regulatory science and licensing measurement dramatically in thinking about how best to monitor and assess licensing rules and regulations through targeted and abbreviated inspections. The theory has also led to the issuing of human service licenses on the basis of substantial regulatory compliance with all rules rather than full 100% regulatory compliance with all rules. This was a basic licensing and public policy paradigm shift which has impacted regulatory administration.
So what would these targeted and abbreviated inspections look like from a program monitoring perspective? Rather than requiring companies, organizations, or agencies to be in full regulatory compliance, it would focus more on substantial compliance with all rules and full compliance with key indicator rules that statistically predict overall regulatory full compliance. This would be a more effective and efficient allocation of monitoring resources that would lead to increased outcomes for clients and better management for providers. The ultimate goal is to obtain the proper balance of regulatory oversight which is not too stringent nor too lax but rather one that focuses on the right (statistical predictors) rules producing the greatest impact on clients and providers of service.
His research has led to the following developments: identification of herding behavior of two year olds, national early care and education quality indicators, mathematical model (Contact Hours) for determining adult child ratio compliance, solution to the trilemma (quality, affordability, and accessibility) in child care delivery services, Stepping Stones to Caring for Our Children, NECPA: National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, online coaching as a targeted and individualized learning platform, validation framework for early childhood licensing systems and quality rating & improvement systems, an Early Childhood Program Quality Improvement & Indicator Model, Caring for Our Children Basics, Abbreviated Program Monitoring Inspections, Validation Framework for Licensing, Generic Key Indicator Rules, Regulatory Compliance Scoring Scale, RegalMetrics, and has led to the development of statistical techniques for dealing with highly skewed, non-parametric data distributions in human services licensing and regulatory systems, such as data dichotomization.
Dr Fiene had a long career in academia and governmental service. He was a research psychologist and regulatory scientist during his tenure with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania"s Office of Children, Youth, and Families and the Office of Licensing and Regulatory Administration where he was the research director for both offices.