CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The Brig. Gen. Thomas R. Mikolajcik Child Development Center recently earned national accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The NAEYC is the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals.
"The staff did a wonderful job of reviewing the [423] criterion and putting systems in place," said Linda Caldwell, 437th Force Support Squadron, Airman and Family Services chief. "Our CDC is the highest quality in the country."
To earn NAEYC Accreditation in the new system, the CDC went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the 10 new NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria.
The Charleston AFB center received NAEYC accreditation after an on-site visit by assessors to ensure the program met each of the 10 NAEYC program standards. Ms. Caldwell gave credit to those who work in the center for the program being recognized by the association.
"Our accreditation status is due to our well trained staff," she said. "The accreditation process changed dramatically in the last few years. We reviewed a lot of 'business processes' and provided new documentation to verify our program quality."
Assistant director at the center, Jacqueline Delts, explained in detail what the center has to offer families for child care.
"The child development program strives to provide for developing the social and emotional, as well as physical and intellectual fitness of our youngest Air Force family members," said Ms. Delts. "We support mission readiness by reducing lost duty time due to conflict between parental responsibilities and unit mission requirements. We also contribute to quality of life and well being of Air Force families."
While the Charleston AFB CDC has just received their accreditation, the center will be subject to unannounced visits during their accreditation, which lasts for five years.
More than 11,000 programs, serving 1 million young children, are currently accredited by NAEYC -- approximately 8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs.
The NAEYC accreditation system has set voluntary professional standards for programs for young children since 1985. As of September 2006, the association's revised program standards and criteria have introduced a new level of quality, accountability and service for parents and children in child care programs. NAEYC is committed to utilizing the newest studies and analysis on positive child outcomes to ensure young children continue receiving the highest-quality care and education possible.
Ensuring the highest-quality care and education is something performed on a daily basis at the center on Charleston AFB, said Ms. Delts.
"Children are divided into age groups and are observed by their teachers daily," said Ms. Delts. "Based on these observations, activities are offered to foster social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. Teachers meet with the training and curriculum specialist monthly to discuss ways to promote positive outcomes for all children through thoughtful assessment, well-implemented curriculum and effective teaching practices."
The NAEYC accreditation system was created in 1985 to set professional standards for early childhood education and to help families identify high-quality preschools, child care centers and other early education programs.
(Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo, 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs contributed to this article.)