Photo: Associated Early Care and Education
Today we congratulate 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 since September 20.
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.The Department of Early Education and Care 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 14 programs that earned accreditation or reaccreditation since September 20:
Belchertown. Belchertown Day School
Beverly. Bright Horizons at Beverly Cummings Center
Boston. Project Hope Children’s Center (Dorchester), Orient Heights Young Explorers (OH YES!) (East Boston), ABCD Jamaica Plain Head Start (Jamaica Plain), Escuelita Boriken (South End)
Fitchburg. Busy Bees Preschool Center
Lincoln. Magic Garden Inc.
New Bedford. Little People’s College (Church St.),
Quincy. South Shore Stars – Quincy Preschool
Somerville. Bigelow Cooperative Daycare Center Inc.
Westwood. Deerfield School
Worcester. Webster Square Day Care Center Inc., YWCA Early Education and Care Program
Eye on Early Education focuses on the twin goals of ensuring that Massachusetts children have access to high-quality early education and become proficient readers by the end of third grade.
