Early Learning Center receives national accreditation

11:57 a.m., Aug. 14, 2006--In only its second year of operation, UD's Early Learning Center (ELC) has received national accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

“Accreditation is a public commitment to provide care that goes far beyond licensing requirements,” Karen Rucker, ELC director, said. “It demonstrates our dedication to providing the children and families in our care with a program that values interactions, relationships and collaborations, while providing a sound educational experience for the children.”

There are more than 10,000 NAEYC-accredited programs serving nearly 1 million children and families nationwide. UD's Laboratory Preschool also is accredited by NAEYC.

UD’s Early Learning Center opened in June 2004 with a commitment to serve a diverse population, including children living in poverty, those with a diagnosed disability and children in foster care.

To receive NAEYC accreditation, the facility must conduct a self-study that includes hundreds of hours of observations, staff training, the compilation of documentation including staff and parent surveys, records of operating procedures and samples of lesson plans, activities and parent communication. “Once we felt the center met the criteria, we submitted an 80-page report to the NAEYC. Then, validators spent two days in our center confirming the documentation, observing classrooms and interviewing staff,” Rucker said.

The accreditation criteria address all aspects of an early childhood education program, including teacher education and qualifications, child-to-teacher ratios, curriculum and health and safety. It begins with an extensive self-study to determine how well the facility meets these criteria. Early childhood programs that demonstrate substantial compliance with the NAEYC standards are accredited for a five-year period.

Facilities must submit documentation on facility cleanliness and sanitation, teacher-child ratios, staff duties, program administrator duties and timelines for those who don't meet qualifications.

NAEYC is a nonprofit organization with a membership of more than 100,000 facilities. Its mission for the past 80 years has been to raise the quality of programs for all children from birth through age 8 by improving the quality of preschools, kindergartens and child-care centers through professional development standards and standards of practice for the early childhood profession.

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson

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