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 October 23.

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 25 programs that earned accreditation or reaccreditation since October 23:

Andover. The Kathy Herward Child Care Center
Beverly. Harborlight Nursery School
Boston. Chinese Church Head Start, Horizons for Homeless Children – Schoen Family Community Children’s Center (Dorchester), Yawkey Knobit Kreyol Center for Early Education and Care (Dorchester)
Canton. Cole-Harrington School Age Enrichment Program
Chicopee. Chicopee Child Development Center
Easton. Easton Learning Adventures Preschool
Falmouth. Cape Cod Development – Falmouth Preschool
Franklin. KinderCare Learning Centers
Hull. Gould Hall Head Start
Millbury. Millbury Federated Church Nursery School
New Bedford. Little People’s College
Newton. Children’s Corner
Plainville. Discovery Day Care Center, Inc.
Sudbury. Sunny Hill Preschool of the Sudbury United Methodist Church
Swampscott. Swampscott Public Schools (Stanley)
Upton. United Parish Christian Nursery School
Williamstown. Williamstown Community Preschool, Inc.
Westwood. Paul Hanlon School
Weymouth. Quincy Community Action Program – Head Start at Weymouth
Winchester. United Methodist Nursery School
Winthrop. Winthrop’s Children’s Corner Preschool
Worcester. Chestnut School of Elm Park Center, Worcester Comprehensive Education and Care