"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
~George Bernard Shaw
How do you know you are getting a reliable, good quality used car? Do you believe the car salesman when they tell you so? Or do you require additional reassurance and documentation? Chances are, you want to see the Car Fax that documents accidents, repairs and other problems.
Of course you are not a car salesman. But the principles are similar; when you do not know someone well, it is helpful to have an outside opinion. Program accreditation is one way to document what parents say about your program, how prepared the staff are to care for young children, and how you interact with the children in your care.
More importantly, program accreditation gives you, the caregiver, reassurance that you are providing the highest quality care possible. When you pursue program accreditation, you learn from the program standards what is generally recognized as quality care.
There are many types of program accreditation: for family child care providers, there is National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC); and for centers the most common types are National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE); and National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA).
Although there are a variety of accreditation options, they all follow a similar course. First, you receive the standards and accompanying materials. Then you review your program in light of those standards. This process is typically called a "self study." Using what you learned, you then develop a "program improvement plan" to make any changes necessary to meet the standards. When you have completed your improvements, you are ready to request a validator (sometimes called observer or endorser) to come and observe your program, typically for a day. The results of that observation, along with documentation you have gathered, are reviewed by a committee to make the final accreditation decision.
Maryland's QRIS system will rely on the accreditation process as one indicator. Are you ready to take a look at accreditation? Or is it overwhelming to even consider the idea? Let us know at
help@applesforchildren.org.
