What is accreditation?
To be eligible to offer the VPK program, each private provider must be a licensed child care facility, a licensed family day care home (registered homes are not eligible), a licensed large family child care home, or a nonpublic school or faith-based child care provider that is exempt from licensure.
Each private provider must either
- be accredited by an accrediting association that is a member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation (http://www.ncpsa.org), the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (http://www.citaschools.org), or the Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic Schools (http://www.faans.org
- hold a current Gold Seal Quality Care designation
http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/childcare/goldseal.shtml - be a licensed child care provider and demonstrate to the early learning coalition that the provider meets the VPK program requirements, including, but not limited to, credentials and background screenings of instructors, minimum and maximum class sizes, director credentials, and developmentally appropriate curriculum.
Accreditation, as it relates to early childhood education, is the approval given to an early childhood education program which has met specific criteria or standards required by the accrediting body. An accredited early childhood education program is expected to be performing beyond minimum standards set by licensing requirements and at a higher level, meeting additional standards set by the accrediting body.
The accreditation process varies by the accrediting body, but usually includes an internal self-evaluation, an external professional review of the self-evaluation information, and an exit interview. The exit interview provides an opportunity for the reviewers to share their findings which will then be presented to the accrediting body to determine the status of accreditation.
There are several early childhood education accrediting bodies, including the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA), Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA), Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic Schools(FAANS), National Academy of Early Childhood Programs (NAEYC), and National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC), to name a few.
In general, an accredited program should offer:
- a clear statement of the philosophy and objectives of the program
- trained personnel
- appropriate teacher/pupil ratios by age
- age-appropriate learning activities for children
- age-appropriate toys, equipment
- nutrition and meal/snack service
- effective school leadership
- family and community relationships
- improvement plan.
Accreditation is one method of ensuring a high-quality early childhood program which provides a safe and nurturing environment while promoting the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of young children. Early childhood centers benefit from accreditation by having a "stamp of approval" by a reputable accrediting body regarding the care and education of children in achieving a high quality program.
The accrediting bodies for the Gold Seal Quality Care designation referenced above, and their websites, are as follows:
- Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment (APPLE), http://www.faccm.org
- Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), http://www.acsi.org
- Association of Christian Teachers and Schools (ACTS), http://ag.org/acts
- Council on Accreditation (COA), http://www.coanet.org
- Montessori School Accreditation Commission (MSAC), http://www.montessori-msac.org
- National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC), http://www.naccp.org
- National Accreditation Council for Early Childhood Professional Personnel and Programs (NACECPPP)), website not available
- National Afterschool Association (NAA), http://www.nsaca.org
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), http://www.naeyc.org
- National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC), http://www.nafcc.org
- National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA), http://www.ncpsa.org
- National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA), http://www.necpa.net
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), http://www.sacs.org
- United Methodist Association of Preschools, http://www.umapfl.com
Additional information regarding the Gold Seal Quality Care Designation may be obtained via the web at http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/childcare/goldseal.shtml
