How do I Accredit My Preschool and Is It Worth It?
Many of the accreditations with merit behind them are going to have some upfront costs and program fees associated with them. Knowing your clientele and market demographics will help in determining if an accreditation is worth the price and time of the application process. In fact, many preschools operate under specific standards that would qualify them for an accreditation, but the benefit does not outweigh the cost of the program and the time of achieving the accreditation. On the other hand, having a nationally recognized accreditation attributed to your school and program can help add prestige and strengthen your reputation, opening the opportunity for increased tuition and higher enrollment retention rates with the new program. If you are marketing to a higher income demographic and charging premium rates compared to the competition, an accreditation can help justify the higher price tag for your program and ensure the school is providing a quality education experience for the students.
Below we have discussed three popular nationally recognized accreditation organizations as well as a link to a publication by the National Center of Child Care Quality Improvement providing a list of National Accreditation Organizations and links to their websites. Take some time and review the list to learn more about which accreditations would add the most benefit to your program.
Popular Accreditations:
NAEYC - The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. They advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association comprises nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and 52 Affiliates, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. Together, the NAEYC works to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.
The NAEYC has identified and set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system—the world’s largest organization of early childhood professionals— for early childhood programs. To earn accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards.
Standard 1: Relationships
Standard 2: Curriculum
Standard 3: Teaching
Standard 4: Assessment of Child Progress
Standard 5: Health
Standard 6: Staff Competencies, Preparation, and Support
Standard 7: Families
Standard 8: Community Relationships
Standard 9: Physical Environment
Standard 10: Leadership and Management
What to look for in a program:
The program administrator has the necessary educational qualifications, including a degree from a four-year college and specialized courses in early childhood education, child development, or related fields.
The program is licensed and/or regulated by the applicable state agency.
The program’s written policies and procedures are shared with families and address issues such as the program’s philosophy and curriculum goals, policies on guidance and discipline, and health and safety procedures.
Appropriate group sizes and ratios of teaching staff to children are maintained (for example, infants—no more than 8 children in a group, with 2 teaching staff; toddlers—no more than 12 children in a group, with 2 teaching staff; and 4-year-olds—no more than 20 children in a group, with 2 teaching staff).
Link to NAEYC Website: https://www.naeyc.org/accreditation
AMS – The American Montessori Society (AMS) leads, empowers, and serves the global community of Montessori educators as the foremost advocate for research and policy, ongoing teacher education, and standards of accreditation through opportunities for mentored individual growth, collaboration, and member engagement.
What is Montessori education? For more than a century now, the child-focused approach that Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, developed for educating children has been transforming schools around the globe. As soon as you enter a classroom, you know that something different is afoot. Montessori classrooms are immediately recognizable. You will see children working independently and in groups, often with specially designed learning materials; deeply engaged in their work; and respectful of themselves and their surroundings. The Montessori Method fosters rigorous, self-motivated growth for children and adolescents in all areas of their development—cognitive, emotional, social, and physical.
As a hub of all things Montessori, AMS strives to anticipate and respond to the needs of our varied constituents. Our many areas of involvement include; Standards for Montessori schools and teacher education programs, school accreditation, teacher education and professional development, research, public policy, peace and social justice, scholarships/awards and grants and Montessori in the public sector.
Strategic Priorities of AMS
Inclusion/Equity – AMS will model and ensure the advancement of principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion by creating an environment in which all feel welcomed, respected, valued, and empowered.
Quality – AMS will define, promote, advocate for, and help its members deliver quality Montessori education and services.
Membership – AMS will provide a professional environment, rich in services, so that members grow and thrive as a strong and expanding global Montessori community.
Communication – AMS will raise awareness and understanding of the organization’s mission, vision, and actions to all stakeholders for the purpose of strengthening the Montessori collective voice.
Institutional Advancement – AMS will ensure that it has significant resources, practices, programs, and facilities to deliver services and cultivate relationships in order to expand and strengthen its position as a voice for Montessori.
Link to AMS Website: https://amshq.org/
NECPA - The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) has a heritage of supporting the profession of early care and education by encouraging the availability of high quality, affordable child care and preschool programs for children, families and communities. Its early years began in 1991 when leading industry professionals of the National Child Care Association envisioned a valid and reputable Accreditation choice that promoted all eligible programs to raise their quality bar, bringing tangible benefits and experiences to the lives of the children and families they served each day. Founding the NECPA required extensive research followed by pilot testing to ensure the commitment to rich standard components. Since this time, we have promoted the most reliable measures of quality in the early childhood field both nationally and abroad. Transitioning from one generation to the next requires pursuance of comparisons to various accepted quality assessments to ensure NECPA is offering programs current research and best practices for their early childhood settings.
Whether you’re an individual program, or you own a small chain of child care centers, NECPA can help you obtain high-level quality with ease! Becoming accredited with NECPA can increase your eligibility of state subsidies, and help your program get recognized by parents and ultimately increase your business. We will hold your hand through your entire accreditation process and help you do it right. Our friendly staff will provide your program with support, resources, and guidance to help accredit your program in as little time as possible. We want to see you succeed!
There are three accreditations and certifications offered within the program, NECPA, The NAC and the CCP.
The NECPA Commission is dedicated to cultivating high quality early childhood programs across the country. The NECPA Standards were derived from the National Health and Safety Performance Standards. We pledge to remain focused on the interests of children.
Developed for center directors, emerging leaders and child care professionals, the National Administrator Credential (NAC) is a comprehensive, 45-hour course conducted on-site and online, and is an award for demonstrated mastery of child care administration skills.
Designed for early childhood educators who effectively promote children’s social, emotional, cognitive and physical development; Professionals exhibiting standards of excellence in child care and early childhood education are recognized through the awarding of The CCP.
Link to NECPA Website: https://necpa.net/
Link to NECPA Standards Book and Resource Guide: https://necpa.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NECPA-2017-Resource-Guide-and-Standards-Book-SB-Edition-2.pdf
The National Center of Child Care Quality Improvement published “National Accreditation Organizations for Early Childhood Programs” which is an all-in-one publication providing all of the National Accreditation Organizations and links to their website. This can help guide your decision on which accreditations can benefit your program most as well as see other options available.