Accreditation
Is your staff ready to engage in a process that will facilitate real and lasting improvements in the quality of your program that serves young children and their families? The self-study process of NAEYC accreditation is a proven vehicle in which to accomplish this goal.
The NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation administers a national, voluntary accreditation system to help raise the quality of all types of preschools, kindergartens, and child care centers. Currently there are more than 10,000 NAEYC-accredited programs, serving nearly one million children and their families. Since the system began in 1985, NAEYC Accreditation has provided a powerful tool through which early childhood professionals, families, and others concerned about the quality of early childhood education can evaluate programs, compare them with professional standards, strengthen the program and commit to ongoing evaluation and improvement
Click here to go to the NAEYC web site and learn more about the accreditation process.
Click here to learn more about what is happening throughout the state of Illinois in accreditation.
Have you met S.A.M.?
The Statewide Accreditation Mentoring Project (SAM) an initiative of the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children aims to help programs in Illinois reach accreditation criteria. SAM mentors will help program administrators and staff increase their understanding of the criteria in relevant areas, and develop specific plans for program improvement.
To learn more about the SAM Initiative, and watch a brief flash movie, click here!
If you are interested in applying to the SAM project, please click here for the application form.
Attention:
Center Directors/Administrators
Are you interested in going through the NAEYC accreditation process, but don’t know where to begin?
Think about being part of the North/Northwest Accreditation Cohort!
Attention:
Center Directors/Administrators
Here are the Top Ten Reasons why you should become part of the North/Northwest Accreditation Cohort!
10. You get to work together as a team with other child care directors instead of going through the process alone.
9. Directors are supported by mentors and through others like you going through the process.
8. Being a part of the cohort makes you accountable.
7. It is fun – (free food!)
6. Being a part of the cohort keeps you on task.
5. You get to see and hear other perspectives from colleagues.
4. You get to share ideas and success stories.
3. Diversity at its best – commaredy is built, an opportunity to network.
2. You receive additional resources.
1. It’s a good thing for you, your staff and the the children and families you serve as the quality of early childhood education is improved!
Accreditation Testimony
“The process of applying for accreditation was extremely rewarding for me and my staff! While initially intimidated by some of the standards, through the SAM Project we found all the professional and financial support needed to understand and meet the criterion. I would encourage anyone who believes in doing the right thing for the right reasons for children to seek NAEYC accreditation and to do so with the numerous benefits available through the SAM Project. I am proud to say, our preschool lives the NAEYC standards thanks to the NAEYC Accreditation process.”
Elaine Quinn
Director of Little Angels Preschool
Barrington, Illinois
“I would like to recommend the SAM project to any Director that is considering going through the accreditation process to help in organizing the centers steps and giving support and clarification of the standards. For my Assistant Director and me it was very beneficial to attend the meetings together and then share with our staff during our monthly staff meetings, creating a team atmosphere. The SAM project facilitators designed each meeting creatively engaging us in activities that involved the criteria we were discussing that evening so we could have a first hand experience or learning activity to take back to our staff. By the facilitators dividing the criteria up giving us assignments for each meeting it helped to keep us on the time line that was developed by each team member for their center. It was extremely helpful to rotate to each of our centers and develop a sense of team between each of the Directors so we could learn from each other and gain new insights on various ways to meet particular criteria. Since we have completed the process and are awaiting the commission’s decision we continue to support one another.”
Eva Hartwig
Wee Care Children’s Center
Wilmette, Illinois
Still have questions?
If you have more Accreditation questions, please click here to contact a GOAEYC Board Member.