Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall's Cody Child Development Center earned its accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
"Accreditation systems are a major part of NAEYC's efforts to improve early childhood education; they allow programs to provide the best learning experiences for young children and their educators by meeting national standards of quality," according to the NAEYC website.
The Army requires NAEYC accreditation for its child care programs, so CDC staff had to ensure the center met NAEYC's standards for accreditation through a four-step process that takes about a year. CDC managers and staff completed a rigorous self study process which included study across the 10 standards set by NAEYC, including relationships, curriculum, health and management.
"A team of two people came on Feb. 12 and 13 and completed a thorough review of all of our self study materials covering a number of preselected criteria and observed in a number of classrooms," said Dawn Thompson, Child, Youth and School Services coordinator. The CDC was notified April 1 that their accreditation was granted, which is valid through April 2020.
Sunny Smith, Cody CDC director, said the CDC team compiled a wealth of documentation to prove and ensure that the program met the NAEYC standards, which require excellence in facilities, the relationships between teachers, students and families, and the progress children make.
"We compiled thousands of pieces of evidence," Smith said. "Failure was not an option."
Smith and Thompson said the CDC staff was engaged throughout the process and demonstrated a great deal of confidence and poise.
"The resounding comments from them were 'We're better than we've ever been,'" Smith said.
The accreditation signals that the Cody CDC is an example of excellence in child care, Smith said.
"Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall takes its rightful place among the best CDCs in the nation," Smith said. "We do deserve a spot as the nation's model for child care. The people who work here are that good. The parents deserve it. The staff deserve it. The kids deserve it. You have to work hard for it."
For more information about the NAEYC accreditation system, visit www.naeyc.org/accreditation.
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