According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a high quality early childhood program provides a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of young children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.
An accredited program means that you should see:
- Frequent, positive, and warm interactions among teachers and children.
- planned learning activities appropriate to a child’s age and development.
- specially trained teachers, who participate ongoing professional development.
- enough adults to respond to individual children.
- many varied age-appropriate materials
- respect for cultural diversity.
- a healthy and safe environment for adults and children.
- inclusive environments.
- nutritious snacks.
- regular, two-way communication with families who are welcome visitors at all times.
- effective administration.
- ongoing, systematic evaluation.
So what is accreditation? It’s a comprehensive process of internal self-study, invited external professional review to verify compliance with the Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs, and been found to be in substantial compliance with the Criteria. Accreditation is valid for five years. It is a long process with lots of paperwork and site visits/inspections. We’re very proud of our accreditation.
Come check out our campus and see if our program is a good fit for you!