Today we congratulate the center- and school-based early education programs in Massachusetts that have earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children since February 19, 2013. We also offer congratulations to the family child care providers in Massachusetts who have earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) since the beginning of 2013.
To those who have earned accreditation or reaccreditation, NAEYC offers a marketing and communications tip: Spread the word to your local newspapers and media outlets. Accredited programs can find a news release template in their program record. This is a great way to publicize your accomplishment and highlight 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), which assesses program quality, provides incentives for programs to improve and offers 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. These programs also 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 thirty-three programs that earned accreditation or reaccreditation since February 19:
Amesbury: Amesbury Elementary School
Boston: Roxbury Head Start, Neighborhood Involvement for Children’s Education, Inc., Gertrude E. Townsend Head Start, John F Kennedy School
Boylston: Tahanto Regional Preschool
Brookline: The Judge and Mrs. Lewis Goldberg Nursery School
Cambridge: Morse Preschool
Canton: Cole-Harrington Children’s Center
Chicopee: Stefanik School, Belcher School, Bowie Memorial School
Dudley: Mason Road School – Preschool & Kindergarten Program
East Bridgewater: Central School Preschool
Falmouth: The Sandpiper Nursery School
Feeding Hills: Selser School
Franklin: F.X. O’Regan Early Childhood Development Center
Gardner: MOC Child Care and Head Start Services-MWCC Site
Great Barrington: Muddy Brook Elementary School
North Attleboro: Animal Crackers Nursery School, Inc.
Northampton: Community Action @ Vernon Street
Norton: Self Help, Inc. Head Start Preschool Programs
Plymouth: South Shore Early Education and Care
Revere: Revere Early Childhood Program, Garfield Avenue & Tuckerman Street
Seekonk: The Children’s Workshop – Seekonk
Southbridge: Worcester Community Action Council Head Start, Marcy Street & Pleasant Street
Spencer: Worcester Community Action Council Head Start, Maple Street
Springfield: Magic Years at the YMCA of Greater Springfield, MA
Taunton: East Taunton Elementary School, Joseph C. Chamberlain Elementary School
Ware: Kidstop Preschool
NAFCC operates the only nationally recognized accreditation system established specifically for home-based family child care providers. NAFCC accreditation has standards in five content areas: relationships, environment, developmental learning activities, safety and health, and professional and business practices.
“There have been many studies that have shown that accredited providers offer a significantly higher quality of care than others,” notes Kathy Modigliani, who runs the MA-based Family Child Care Project. In going through the accreditation process, Modigliani observes, early educators put into practice what they learn in college courses or Child Development Associate (CDA) training. “To motivate providers to put what they are learning into practice is something accreditation is important for,” she says. “I really think accreditation for both centers and homes is a critical piece in the Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) because it assesses what is happening in the program.”
Congratulations to the 11 family child care providers in Massachusetts who earned NAFCC accreditation or reaccreditation since January 1, 2013:
Everett: Latifa Hakim, Augusta Jean-Denis
Fall River: Joyce Perry
Foxboro: Margaret Wheeler
Holden: Ellen Tawczynski
Lowell: Chamroeun Khat, Lourdes Ayala
Medford: Maria Russo
Revere: Lilian Vega
Worcester: Fernanda Arantes, Waldir Cruz
Congratulations to all with a special “shout out” to Amesbury!