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1st appeared
7 October
1999 Child Care Center Gets Mark of Excellence UCSF Marilyn Reed Lucia Child Care Study Center was recently granted accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It is one of only eight centers in San Francisco to attain that status. The prestigious recognition has been achieved by approximately 7 percent of early childhood programs nationwide – some 6,215 programs, serving 574,402 children. "We’re very proud," said David Worton, director of the UCSF Child Care Study Center. "The staff has worked very hard to earn this recognition." This is the second time the center has received NAEYC accreditation, which covers three years. 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. Some 12,000 programs nationwide seek accreditation. They 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. All of this information is independently reviewed by a team of national experts who grant or defer accreditation. The UCSF Marilyn Reed Lucia Child Care Study Center is located at 610 Parnassus Avenue and serves 48 children per day, ranging in age from 2 to 5 years. It is an employee-based facility serving UCSF students, staff and faculty, as well as the community. "The heart of NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child’s experience," said Worton. 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. Research supports the value of accreditation, said Worton. 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 in life," he said. NAEYC accreditation began in 1985, with the first program accredited in 1986. It 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. Links: National Association for the Education of Young Children |
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