Can school-age child care programs gain accreditation?
Yes, they certainly can. All types of early childhood programs, including before- and after-school programs, are eligible to apply for accreditation. Full- or part-time, profit or nonprofit and all programs which have been operational for at least one year may be granted accreditation.
What is accreditation for early childhood programs?
A program voluntarily applies for accreditation after engaging in an extensive self-study based on the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs and NAEYC’s Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs. The accuracy of the program’s self-study is verified during a site visit by a team of trained volunteer validators. The validated self-study, including the program director’s responses is reviewed by a three-member national commission, judged to be in substantial compliance with the academy’s criteria and granted accreditation for a three-year period.
The program agrees to act upon the commission’s suggestions regarding areas of marginal compliance with the criteria and to submit annual written reports documenting improvements and continued compliance.
How is accreditation different from day care licensing?
Day care licensing sets a floor of standards below which no program is allowed to legally operate and requires 100% compliance. Accreditation is a voluntary commitment to the requirements of providing a high quality program.
For more information about the accreditation process contact:
The National Association for the Education of Young Children at 1-800-424-2460