National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation:

Early childhood programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) have voluntarily undergone a comprehensive process of internal self-study, invited an external professional to review and verify compliance with NAEYC’s criteria for high quality early childhood programs, and have been found to be in substantial compliance with the criteria.

A high quality early childhood program provides a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of young children.

In accredited programs, you will see:

• Frequent, positive, warm interactions among adults and children
• Planned learning activities appropriate to the child’s age and development
• Specially trained teachers
• Adults who respond to individual children
• Many varied age-appropriate materials
• A healthy and safe environment for children
• Nutritious meals and/or snacks
• Regular communication with parents who are welcome visitors at all times
• Effective administration and ongoing systematic evaluation

We at Child Development Inc. strive to achieve this standard at all of our sites. Currently, two-thirds of our programs are NAEYC accredited.

National AfterSchool Association (NAA) Accreditation:

Beginning in 2007, our before and after school programs will convert to the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) Accreditation system. NAEYC will focus their system on children ages 0-5 years.

NAA’s system includes a self-study process and an external review. In addition, NAA requires the formation of an ASQ (Advancing School Age Quality) Team, which includes the Site Supervisor, staff members, parents, children and an elementary school representative.

NAA has six standards of quality in which the center must demonstrate substantial compliance:

• Human Relationships
• Indoor Environments
• Outdoor Environments
• Activities
• Safety/Health/Nutrition
• Administration