We are proud that our program has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children since 1987! NAEYC Accreditation represents the hallmark of quality in early childhood education. To achieve accreditation, programs volunteer to be measured against the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards. Only about 8% of US preschools are currently accredited.
This year we went through the re-accreditation process again. We have been preparing for the last year by collecting evidence to show that our program meets over 400 criteria within 10 standards. The NAEYC assessor was here last month for two days to observe our program and go over our evidence.
We just learned today that we passed our site visit. We are now re-accredited for a five year period. Throughout the five-year term of accreditation, we must submit annual reports and are subject to random, unannounced visits by assessors to ensure that we continue to meet the standards.
All in all, this process is detailed and time-consuming but at the same time we are excited to be able to document exactly how children learn through play in our program.
NAEYC’s 10 Standards:
1. Promote positive relationships for all children and adults to encourage each child\’s sense of individual worth.
2. Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development: cognitive, emotional, language, physical, and social.
3. Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate effective teaching approaches.
4. Provide ongoing assessments of a child\’s learning and development and communicate the child\’s progress to the family.
5. Promote the nutrition and health of children and protect children and staff from injury and illness.
6. Employ a teaching staff that has the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children\’s learning and development, and to support families\’ diverse needs and interests.
7. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with each child\’s family.
8. Establish relationships with and use the resources of the community to support the achievement of program goals.
9. Provide a safe and healthy physical environment.
10. Implement strong personnel, fiscal, and program management policies so that all children, families, and staff have high-quality experiences.