A local learning lab has just obtained nationwide recognition.
The Dr. Kathryn A. Watson Child Development Learning Lab located in Yuma at Arizona Western Collegehas earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)—the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children.
NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments.
“We are excited and honored to have received the mark of quality from NAEYC, and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Alma Barrandey, director of the Child Development Learning Lab.
To earn the Accreditation, the labwent through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria.
NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years.
In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.
“NAEYC-Accredited programs bring our definitions of excellence for early childhood education to life each day,” said Kristen Johnson, senior director of Early Learning Program Accreditation at NAEYC. “Earning NAEYC Accreditation makes the Dr. Kathryn A. Watson Child Development Learning Lab an exemplar of good practice for families and the entire community.”
