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Accreditation

Picture of early childhood activity

In this section you will find information about participating in the voluntary NAEYC accreditation program to make your early childhood program even better.

General Information About Accreditation

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What can be done to improve the quality of day care/childcare settings?

Voluntary program accreditation is one important strategy because it:

  • Allows an early childhood program to voluntarily meet standards of quality above and beyond the licensing standards
  • Provides an excellent opportunity for child care staff and family care providers to participate in a reflective process about program quality and program development
  • Involves a period of self-study and evaluation, followed by observation by a trained expert
  • These experts look in detail at the following:
    • Providers’ nonverbal and verbal interactions with children
    • Available materials and activities
    • Quality of the physical environment
    • Health, safety and nutrition

Organizations that sponsor accreditation:

Quality New York

  • Quality New York (QNY) assists New York City early care and education programs in improving teaching and administrative practices in order to reach the high-quality national standards established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
  • QNY is a partnership between Bank Street College of Education, Child Care inc., and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies with funding from United Way of New York City, the Heron Foundation, and The Picower Foundation.
  • QNY uses the NAEYC self-study and accreditation process as a guide for child care, Early Head Start, Head Start and private early education programs to improve.
  • QNY helps program staff, parents and public officials better understand the value of program standards and working together toward NAEYC accreditation as a process of continuous quality improvement.
  • Each program is supported in several ways:
    • Specially trained consultants, called Quality Advisors, are provided to offer on-site technical assistance.
    • A program improvement plan is developed by the director and their Quality Advisor to guide the center in reaching their accreditation goal.
    • Directors and Teaching Staff are offered the opportunity to participate in professional development workshops specifically designed to address the needs of programs working towards quality improvement, facilitated by Bank Street College.
    • Directors participate in a Director's Support Group through Child Care Inc. or Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.
  • For more information contact: Alison Pepper, Coordinator at (212) 801-1319
  • Or Visit them

Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies – FPWA Accreditation Facilitation Project

  • A NYC based program that helps agencies: receive training, access individualized technical assistance, get help with outreach and public education, advocacy, and provides access to resources and information.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

  • The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) sponsors a national accreditation process by which day care/child care centers demonstrate their commitment to providing high quality to children and families.

The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

  • The National Association for Family Child Care provides technical assistance to family childcare associations. This assistance is provided through developing leadership and professionalism, addressing issues of diversity, and by promoting quality and professionalism through NAFCC's Family Child Care Accreditation.

QNY is Accepting New Programs!

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  • Quality New York is seeking a few additional programs to join on the path to quality improvement.
  • Please visit their website to download an application and find contact information.
  • QNY has a new brief, "Making the Case for Supporting NAEYC Accreditation" Adobe Acrobat Icon Read it to learn more about the importance of this process, how it helps prepare young children for success in school and how it assists programs in improving and sustaining quality.