Accreditation: Voluntary Improvement and Recognition for Child Care Centers and Preschools

What is "accreditation"?

Accreditation is a process through which programs can be evaluated and approved. The purpose of this voluntary process is to help raise the quality of child care programs, both in center- and home-based settings.

How is an accredited program different from a licensed program?

State-licensed providers have met their state's established standards, which deal mainly with safety, health, and registration processes. Accredited providers have voluntarily met standards for child care excellence promoted by one or more organizations, and have agreed to comply with the issuing agent's requirements.

How does a program become accredited?

There are basically five steps to accreditation.

1. Complete an application or request for accreditation materials from the agency from which you desire accreditation. This typically requires a fee.
2. Complete a self-study profile of the program. This applies to centers and homes. The profile helps you to see your strengths and weaknesses, and allows you to bring your program into compliance with the issuing agency's expectations.
3. Complete staff and parent questionnaires. This helps the agency to get a clear picture of your program.
4. Schedule agency visits once other requirements have been met. The visiting representatives are called validators, endorsers, or observers, depending on the agency. These visits last anywhere from one to four (sometimes more) hours, depending on the size of the program and how many observers are sent. These visitors then complete their own report.
5. Submit all materials to an approving committee, who will then notify you if your accreditation is approved, pending (need more time to bring the program into full compliance), or denied.

A denial does not necessarily mean that you can not receive accreditation at a later time. The process takes from 6 months to 2 years to complete. The total cost can range from $100 (for the self-study materials only) up to $850 or more, depending on the size of your program.

Who provides accreditation?

Several independent, non-profit organizations provide accreditation. It is very important that you check each organization to make sure that its goals and mission align to that of your program and the population it serves. Visit each Web site, look at the list of presentations, short courses, and sponsored seminars offered at the annual conferences, and other materials published or disseminated by each organization. Don't allow yourself to be surprised at a later date, following a lengthy process, by affiliation with an organization that operates on very different principles from those upon which you have built your program. For parents, check to make sure that the provider you are considering still maintains their accreditation. For providers, check that you are listed appropriately on their site.

The National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP) offers accreditation through its National Accreditation Commission, or NAC. The NAC also provides an optional faith-based component, at no extra charge. Visit them at:
www.naccp.org

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) offers accreditation through its Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation. It is the largest national accrediting organization for child care programs. The Academy will stop accreditation for school-age child care in 2005. Visit them at:
www.naeyc.org

The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) offers accreditation to home child care providers. They provide an online accreditation readiness tool for home providers to use before they ever pay a cent to see if they are ready for the process. Visit them at:
www.nafcc.org

The National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) offers accreditation through its Program Improvement & Accreditation. The NSACA Program caters to after-school and out-of-school programs. They are in the process of revamping their entire organization to streamline the accreditation process. Visit them at:
www.naaweb.org

What's in it for me?

Care Providers
Accredited programs and providers report marketing ability as one of the most important side effects of accreditation. Parents are impressed when they see that a program is accredited. Recruiting higher quality workers, availability of government funding, and self-esteem of child care providers are all potential benefits of becoming accredited.

Parents
An accredited facility, whether at a center or a home, will have ongoing staff development aimed at providing the highest quality care for its children. Provider staff will have to complete training prior to the accreditation, and will make annual reports to maintain their accreditation. These reports will look at all aspects of the program, including change in ownership and number of turnovers, and may request a new visit if changes take place. Parents have an outside organization that will hold the provider responsible for their care of young children. For parents, accreditation is one more assurance that their child is in safe hands.

Children
Children at an accredited facility are more likely to experience responsive, encouraging caregivers and teachers, as those caregivers are often better trained and more knowledgeable in issues regarding child development and learning. The group size requirements are strict, and time spent with a substitute is limited, so children will have more bonding time with a primary provider. They can be more assured that they will be safe, and appropriate activities will be available to them.