Where Community Begins

July 1st, 2009

Bet Yeladim Preschool was granted re-accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This prestigious recognition has been achieved by approximately 7% of early childhood programs nationwide, some 8,195 programs as of May 1, 2002, serving some 726,000+ children.

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 or re-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. All of this information is independently reviewed by a team of national experts who grant or defer accreditation. When awarded, accreditation/ or re-accreditation, is valid for three years.

“The heart of NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child’s experience”, said Jean Grinspoon, then the Executive Director of Bet Yeladim. “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.”

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