Photo: Associated Early Care and Education

Today we offer our monthly congratulations to the center- and school-based early education programs in Massachusetts that earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in December.

To those who earned accreditation or reaccreditation, NAEYC offers a marketing and communications tip: Spread the word to your local newspaper or other media outlet. Accredited programs can find a news release template in their program record. It’s a great way to publicize your accomplishment and draw attention to the importance of high-quality early learning settings.

NAEYC accreditation is a widely accepted proxy for quality, and Massachusetts boasts more NAEYC-accredited programs than any other state in the country. Programs applying for state-funded Universal Pre-Kindergarten grants must be accredited by NAEYC or another recognized organization. The Department of Early Education and Care also includes accreditation in the standards for the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), designed to assess program quality, provide incentives for programs to improve and offer valuable information for parents.

The rigorous NAEYC accreditation process measures 10 standards that range from curriculum to family engagement. Accredited programs use a research-based, developmentally appropriate curriculum that promotes children’s social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive growth. They support teachers’ professional development, promote children’s health and nutrition, use age-appropriate methods to assess children’s development and maintain collaborative relationships with parents and guardians.

Congratulations to the following four programs that earned accreditation or reaccreditation in December:

Hanscom Air Force Base. Lincoln Integrated Preschool
Lincoln. Lincoln Integrated Preschool
Middleborough. Old Colony YMCA Preschool
Swampscott. Swampscott Public Schools