Tuesday, April 18, 2006
On yesterday's USNewswire, from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is this press release about the Standards for Quality Preschool and Child Care. Though the NAEYC accrediation is primarily for centers, Head Start, kindergarten, and before and after school programs, the information that they provide about quality care is still informative and relevant for all early care professionals. Are you following these guidelines in your child care?
You can get more information at the NAEYC accreditation website or download the checklist that the press release talks about.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is helping families make the right choice for their kids by giving them a tool to know whether child care programs, preschools, and kindergartens meet the mark of quality. NAEYC has 10 standards that define excellent programs for young children and an accreditation system to measure whether programs meet those standards. Now NAEYC has created a Quality Checklist of characteristics parents can look for when choosing a program.NAEYC Develops 10 Standards for Quality Preschool and Child Care; Creates Checklist for Families, Strengthens Accreditation System
WASHINGTON, April 17 /U.S. Newswire/--
"Choosing the right child care program or preschool can seem overwhelming," says Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. "NAEYC wants to help families feel good about the choices they make. The Quality Checklist will help parents in their search."
NAEYC's Quality Checklist helps families determine whether a program provides excellent
care and education. High-quality programs should meet the following standards, as outlined in the NAEYC Accreditation system:
1. Promote positive relationships for all children and adults
2. Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development - cognitive,
emotional, language, physical, and social
3. Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches
4. Provide ongoing assessments of child progress
5. Promote the nutrition and health of children and staff
6. Employ and support qualified teaching staff
7. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with families
8. Establish and maintain relationships and use resources of the community
9. Provide a safe and healthy physical environment
10. Implement strong program management policies that result in high-quality service
For 20 years, NAEYC's voluntary accreditation system has measured the quality of child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and other programs for children from birth through five years.
In 2004, NAEYC began a thorough reinvention of its accreditation system to reflect new research and to better serve centers and families. "NAEYC has worked for decades to help programs improve," says Ginsberg. "Our new accreditation system has improved as well, to give programs a clear and efficient structure, and help families make the right
choice for kids."
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, programs must complete a rigorous four-step review process to prove they meet the NAEYC standards, including an on-site visit by a NAEYC
assessor. There are more than 400 criteria that programs use to demonstrate that they are meeting the standards. NAEYC Accreditation lasts for five years, during which programs must submit annual reports and are subject to unannounced visits to ensure they remain in compliance.
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The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through age eight. Founded in 1926, NAEYC has nearly 100,000 members, and over 300 local, state, and regional affiliates. NAEYC and its affiliates work to improve early childhood education and build public support for high- quality programs.
