Road to NAEYC Accreditation

NAEYC Accreditation is a long process but very worth while. There is a lot of information on their web site http://www.naeyc.org/academy/pursuing/fourstepoverview, but here is a copy of their main page just to give you an idea.

The Four Steps help programs prepare for each stage of NAEYC Accreditation, and ensure that the crucial components of program quality are in place along the way.
Programs pursuing initial accreditation must complete the Four Steps. Currently accredited programs will pursue a new term of accreditation through the renewal process.

---

Step 1: Enrollment/Self-Study

Align your program with the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards

• Submit enrollment form and fee
• Register for TORCH
• Use Self-Study tools in TORCH to evaluate program quality and to inform quality improvement efforts
• Plan your program’s accreditation timeline, considering submission deadlines for reaccreditation if applicable

---

Step 2: Application/Self-Assessment

Compile evidence on how your program meets the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards

• Submit application and fee, selecting a Candidacy due date for Step 3
• Use Self-Assessment tools in TORCH to document that your program meets the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards
• Gather documentation that your program meets the Candidacy Requirements
• Download Candidacy Materials eight weeks prior to self-selected Candidacy due date
• Complete Candidacy Materials

---

Step 3: Candidacy

Demonstrate key components of high quality programming and preparedness for site visit

• Submit Candidacy Materials and fee on or before Candidacy due date
• “Fine tune” program improvement efforts in preparation for site visit
• Receive Candidacy decision from the NAEYC Academy

---

Step 4: Meeting the Standards Demonstrate how your program meets the standards by allowing an NAEYC Assessor to observe your program in action and review evidence collected in Self-Assessment. For programs accepted as Candidates for NAEYC Accreditation: Receive contact from NAEYC Asessor(s) Provide NAEYC Assessor(s) with your program’s calendar and selected exclusion dates Submit changes in staff to NAEYC Academy (if applicable) Receive notification of 15-day window in which the site visit could occur Receive notification of site visit one business day prior to the visit Receive site visit within six months of Candidacy due date Receive accreditation decision within three months of site visit Accredited Programs: Celebrate your Accreditation Decision!

Step 4: Maintaining the Standards Demonstrate continued compliance with the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards. Submit Annual Report on first through fourth anniversaries of accreditation anniversary date Update NAEYC with new information, including major programmatic changes, licensing/regulatory updates, and incidents that did or could have compromised the essential health or safety of any child. Submit to additional verification or random unannounced visits to demonstrate continued compliance with the program standards

Our Community Resources

When opening your own center you not only have to find the most qualified people possible but also have resources for your team of educators and for the children's caregivers to learn and expand their knowledge of early childhood education. Here are a few resources that I have come across that will help in this journey with hiring, evaluations and professional development for not just teachers but also caregivers who are interested in early childhood education.

• Merit-https://apps.del.wa.gov/merit/
• Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD)-www.psesd.org/
• Washington State Department of Early Learning (WSDEL or DEL)-www.del.wa.gov/
• Child Care Aware-wa.childcareaware.org/
• Early Achivers-www.del.wa.gov/care/qris/
• Child Care Check-www.del.wa.gov/check
• Local school districts:

1. Franklin Pierce Schools- fpschools.org/
2. Tacoma Public Schools- www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/
3. Bethel School District- www.bethelsd.org/
4. Clover Park School District- www.cloverpark.k12.wa.us/
5. Fife School District- www.fifeschools.com/

• Local colleges:

1.  Tacoma Community College- www.tacomacc.edu/
2. University of Washington- www.tacoma.uw.edu/
3. Clover Park Technical College- www.cptc.edu/
4. Evergreen State College- evergreen.edu/tacoma/home.htm
5. Bates Technical College- www.bates.ctc.edu/
6. Everest College- www.everest.edu/campus/tacoma
7. Pacific Lutheran University- www.plu.edu/
8. University of Puget Sound- www.pugetsound.edu/

 

Program Assessments

 Let us talk program or classroom assessments for a minute. There are four that I have taken the time to look at and they are all similar but with subtle differences.
 Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) are the closest in similarities because they were created by the same people and are just for different age groups. ITERS is for birth to 30 months while ECERS is for 24-60 months or 2-5 years of age. The ITERS scale consists of 39 items and the ECERS consists of 43 items both organized into 7 categories including; space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking (language-reasoning for ECERS), activities, interaction, program structure, and lastly parents and staff. Each item has a rating based on what it should look like. It is a very simple scale to use and leaves little to no gray areas as to what a rating is. The scale ranges from a 1.1 which is Inadequate to a 7.4 that is Excellent.
 The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observational tools objectively measure the quality of teacher–student interactions. They also have different versions for infant, toddler and Pre-K age groups.The CLASS tools help pinpoint areas of strength and areas for growth, providing critical information programs and schools can use to guide improvement efforts.
 Lastly we have the Rating Observation Scale for Inspiring Environments (ROSIE). This is an observation rating scale that has teachers examine classrooms in a totally new way with an eye for what is aesthetically beautiful and inspiring.
 I personally like the ITERS and ECERS the best because I think it has a broad "cover all" things feel to it.

The Importance of Quality Educators

To provide quality care for infants and toddlers you must have quality educators in place to nurture and help these young children grow both physically and intellectually.

 In order to ensure that they are quality educators you must make sure they have both a healthy mind and body themselves. Having a teacher that is mentally unhealthy can not see to the mental needs of their students. Same goes with their body. A teacher needs to be able to get down to the eye level of their students which means up and down off the floor and bending over, as well as being able to lift and carry the little ones. A quality educator is able to find resources that will help not only the child but the child's entire family. Things like WIC, dental care, health and medical care, childcare, free or low cost food and clothing, Early Head Start and home visiting information, specialists for special needs children, and community activities like mommy and me classes, local parks and museums or swim lessons at the YMCA. Lastly a quality educator is a person who has established skills in communicating, interacting and reacting to both children and their families. You have to be able to talk, work with and solve problems on many different levels with many different types of children and their families on a daily basis.

Having quality educators is important at any level of teaching but having them in the classrooms for infants and toddlers is where they are needed the most in my opinion. This is the age that needs to be nurtured the most for future development. Parents need all the help they can get as it really does take a village to raise any child. Leaving a child at risk without proper support at this vulnerable age truly sets them up for failure. Every child deserves to have a quality teacher to help them reach their full potential.

An ECE Director's View

I recently conducted interviews with both an in-home provider and a center director at a local child care center. I have come to the conclusion that it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to run a functioning child care center, let alone a quality center on 100% DSHS subsidy.
I ran the numbers myself to see if the providers were merely trying to increase their profits and I was amazed at the results. As income for 30 children I calculated $26,694 per month. For a staff of six at minimal wages the amount was $13,432 per month. Already you are at half your income amount without even factoring in things like facility rent, food, insurance, supplies, utilities, maintenance and possible transportation. I don't see myself being able to survive as a business this way. I want to help every child and their family succeed in learning and preparing for their future, but this can not be done on this income. As an owner/director you can not afford to maintain your personal household if all your funds are going back into your center, but your center will not survive if you do not use your personal funds to fill in the gaps that the lack of center income creates.

In the Beginning

In the beginning when you are first starting a brand new center there are so many things that you need. The list is incredibly long including equipment, materials, curriculum and assessments for the classrooms and individual students.

With equipment you have to decide what type of center you will have in order to decide what what equipment you will need. You have the basics of tables, chairs, shelves and such that is required for all.  The equipment that is thought of less is outdoor play equipment. What type and how big if you are going for structures. Or not having any and going towards a more natural play area with gardens and structures that are more naturally made. Bicycles, slides, swings, sand boxes and such are also types of equipment you have to decide on.  Whether you will have preschoolers only or will have infants and toddlers as well. Each age group has to have special equipment that will meet their age appropriate needs. High chairs, cribs, mats, cots, bottles, plates, bowels, sippy cups, regular drinking glasses, sensory tables are different for the different age groups, the height of the table and chairs varying on the size and age of the children. All these things matter and all vary depending on what you want in your center.

Materials are also something that depends on what type of center you want to run. If you are a Montessori School for example, there are specific materials that you would use versus a Bank Street School. Materials include all items that would be included in your math, science, writing, block, art, dramatic play, sensory and literacy areas. Things like paper, books, paints, light tables, magnifying glasses, dress up cloths, small and large blocks, puzzles and all types of toys. Children learn through their play so each item you choose must have meaning to what you are trying to teach them.

When looking at curriculum and assessments more decisions have to be made yet again. Teaching Strategies Gold, CLASS, ITERS, ECERS, Early Achievers, Ages & Stages, Developmental Continuum, ECEAP, Head start/ Early Head start, the list goes on and on. Which ones will you use and how will they work with the guidance techniques you will put into place. Many work well together while others not so much. There are different guidelines and rules for each.

Having a plan of what your overall goals and expectations are for your program will be important when deciding to have a center of your own. This is not something to enter into lightly. While you may have a love of teaching and being involved in the process of helping them grow, it is a tremendous weight that will be put upon your shoulders.

Becoming an Administrator

So I went to The Department of Early Learning's Licensing Child Care Center Orientation training on Thursday and boy was that a long day. It started at 8:30am and went until 4:30pm, but it was so full of information that it was almost over whelming. There are many things that go with being a director and it is not just the paperwork aspect that takes so much attention. Starting a center from the ground up is scary to think about. Getting approval from licensing is not even a first step. Fire marshals have a lot of rules and you have to be aware of state and local laws. The biggest thing that I came away from this with was to make friends with your licenser and work closely with them. They have an extreme amount knowledge and references, and they truly want to help your succeed. Having to have everything in place before you can even start taking kids and having an income for your center means having to have quite a bit of start-up money. Also needing to have teachers in place before you have kids, (with all their background checks, TB tests, education and certifications and so on) can be frustrating. I originally had wanted to start my own center from the ground up, but after this I think I will be looking into taking over an already established business and just making the changes to fit my views and wants. A very big pro for me is that I have taken this orientation, I do now have all the check lists and incite into what I will need to get set into place when I fist make the decision to have my own center.