Oklahoma City, Okla. - The Child Development Center at Oklahoma City Community College was recently granted accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This prestigious recognition has been achieved by approximately 7 percent of early childhood programs nationwide - some 8,075 programs, serving 716,672 children.
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"I am very pleased that we have been recognized, once again, as being a quality center," said Charlotte Wood-Wilson, director of the Child Development Center. "It is essential to the Child Development program that we maintain our accreditation. Students are required to observe and do activities in an accredited center. I have a great staff and we do appreciate the support of the college."
NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous, voluntary process by which early childhood programs demonstrate that they meet national standards of excellence. Child care centers, preschools, kindergartens and before and after school programs are eligible to seek NAEYC accreditation. Approximately 15,000 programs are engaged in seeking accreditation.
Programs seeking accreditation undergo an intensive self-study, collecting information from parents, teachers, administrators, and classroom observations. They receive an on-site visit, conducted by early childhood professionals especially trained by NAEYC, to validate their self-study results. A team of national experts who grant or defer accreditation independently reviews all of this information. When awarded, accreditation is valid for three years.
"The heart of NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child's experience," said Barbara Willer, spokesperson for NAEYC. "The process carefully considers all aspects of a program including health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications, and physical environment. The greatest emphasis is on the children's relationships with the staff and how the program helps each child grow and learn intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally."
According to Willer, research supports the value of accreditation for children. Children's language and social skills especially benefit from the better quality found in NAEYC-accredited programs. "These are critical areas for children's success in school as well as life," said Wood-Wilson.
NAEYC accreditation began in 1985, with the first program accredited in 1986. NAEYC is the nation's oldest and largest organization of early childhood professionals dedicated to improvement of quality early childhood education. NAEYC established accreditation in response to the growing number of American children spending large amounts of time in group settings away from home, and the uneven - and often inadequate consumer protection afforded by state licensing of child care facilities.
The Child Development Center is located on the campus of Oklahoma City Community College and serves 52 children annually ranging in age from 6 weeks to age 5.
Contact: Jessica Martinez-Brooks, 405-682-7590, jmbrooks@okccc.edu