The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals, accredited the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Early Childhood Center.
“We’re proud to have earned this mark of quality from NAEYC and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Rebecca Dabbs MacLean, director of the SIUE Early Childhood Center.
Only about 8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs in the country achieve NAEYC accreditation. Established 25 years ago, NAEYC accreditation has become recognized as a sign of high-quality early childhood learning.
In order to achieve accreditation, the center went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood program standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. An onsite visit was conducted by NAEYC assessors to ensure program standards are being met. NAEYC-accredited programs also are subject to unannounced visits during their accreditation period.
“NAEYC accreditation lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences possible,” MacLean said.
Once accredited, programs maintain their accreditation for a 5-year period. For more information about NAEYC accreditation, visit www.naeyc.org/academy. For more information about the SIUE Early Childhood Center, visit www.siue.edu/earlychildhood/about.