Child Development Center gains accreditation

The campus Child Development Center has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals.

NAEYC’s accreditation review process examined many aspects of the program, including teacher qualifications and development, teacher/child ratios, teacher/child and teacher/family relationships, curriculum, physical environment, health and safety.

“We’re proud to be accredited by NAEYC and recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Vicki Knauerhase, the center’s administrator. “NAEYC accreditation lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best early learning experiences. We feel the commitment to quality and the accreditation process is important not only to the children and families but also to the teachers of tomorrow we are training.”

The Child Development Center is a practicum site for early childhood education majors at the University who hope to teach preschool through third grade.

Each semester the center serves 36-40 preschoolers in two classes, morning and afternoon, and 70-80 practicum students who are supervised by two master teachers, Knauerhase and Cindi Baum. The program is designed around a developmentally appropriate curriculum, with children choosing from many open-ended learn-through-play activities.

NAEYC created its accreditation program in 1985 to set professional standards for early childhood education, and to help families identify high-quality child care and early education programs. To earn accreditation, a program conducts a self-study to determine how well it meets the standards. After necessary improvements are made, the program is observed by independent, professional validators, and then reviewed by a national panel. Programs are accredited by NAEYC for a five-year period.
More than 8,000 early childhood programs serving nearly three-quarters of a million children are currently accredited by the association.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a growing number of child care and preschool programs earning NAEYC accreditation,” said Mark Ginsberg, the association's executive director. “By earning accreditation, the Child Development Center has become a leader in a national effort to raise the quality of early childhood education, and to help give all children a better start.”