Krayons Academy
Why Accreditation Matters
KRAYONS ACADEMY is committed to providing only the best to children and their parents. That's why we ensure our centers meet the highest standards of childcare quality. Programs that are accredited provide a safe and healthy environment for children, have teachers who are well trained, have access to excellent teaching materials, and work with curriculum that is appropriately challenging and developmentally sound. To maintain their accreditation, centers must voluntarily improve their offerings and adhere to high national childcare standards.
What's Involved
Accreditation is given by several national organizations (see below). Each accrediting organization requires adherence to a specific set of child development standards. Programs undergo in-depth self-assessments, independent observation, and approval by professional experts. In general, accreditation evaluates the center's staff qualifications, parent communication, interactions, curriculum, health and safety, and administration. It can take from 1-2 years to become fully accredited.
How Accreditation Differs from State Licensing
Licensing
Each state sets its individual licensing requirements. The goal of licensing is to ensure a child's health, safety, and nutrition while in out-of-home care. Licensing laws provide a minimum standard of quality below which it is illegal to operate. Contact your state's childcare regulatory office for specific information.
Accreditation
A number of national childcare organizations have established quality standards that go beyond a state's minimum licensing requirements. When a center becomes accredited, it has voluntarily decided to meet high national quality standards and has made a commitment to provide the kind of care, attention, and stimulating activities that you and your children require.
NAC
The National Accreditation Commission for the Early Care and Education Programs (NAC) is a division of the National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP). The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of childcare in America by investing in the people who lead the programs. NAC accreditation identifies and acknowledges early care and education programs that meet a wide variety of professional and ethical standards. Accreditation is valid for two years. Visit the NACCP site for details.
NECPA
The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA), an independent and nationally recognized program, has been supporting educational programs that strive for excellence since 1993. The non-profit organization encourages the availability of high quality early education programs for America's families. As a prerequisite to accreditation, it requires all centers to have possessed a state license in good standing for at least one year. Full accreditation is granted for three years with satisfactory annual reviews. To learn more, visit the NECPA Web site