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Accreditation
Accreditation
State licensing is often required to operate a family child care. Licensing, established by each state, differ as to the requirements for licensure but in all case represent minimum operating standards to protect the health and safety of the children receiving the care. Accreditation is voluntary process with a decision made by the provider to meet higher quality standards. Accreditation can be seen as a catalyst for change that builds on a provider’s strengths and helps her/him achieve better results in all areas. A provider is evaluated against best-practice standards, which are developed using a consensus model with input from a wide range of service providers, funders, experts, policymakers and consumers. Accreditation means a provider has successfully shown that she or he meets standards based on a national scale of professional quality child care.
To gain a better understanding of the various accreditation options available to family child care providers, please review the following.
 National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
The National Association for Family Child Care is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting quality child care by strengthening the profession of family child care. The goals of the Association are:
- To strengthen state and local associations as the primary support system for individual family child care providers;
- To promote a professional accreditation program that recognizes and encourages quality care for children;
- To represent family child care providers by advocating for their needs and collaborating with other organizations;
- To promote the diversity of the family child care profession through training, state and local associations, public education, and Board membership; and
- To deliver effective programs through strong organizational management.
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.
The National Association for Family Child Care accredits family child care homes that offer high-quality child care services. The purpose of NAFCC accreditation is to offer professional recognition and consumer distinction to those providers who meet these high standards of quality through their consistency and dedication. Accreditation is intended for providers who have demonstrated a commitment to reach beyond the minimum requirements of state licensing. To receive accreditation from the NAFCC, family child care providers must first go through an in-depth review process. This process includes proof of licensing, observation by an NAFCC representative, review of family child care records, a written self-evaluation by the provider, a parent review of the provider's self-evaluation, and interviews with the provider.
There are other organizations that accredit other types of child care and development services. These include:
- Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services (COA)
The COA is an international organization that accredits a wide variety of service agencies, including family child care systems. The accreditation process includes self-study and completion of the Self-Study Manual, on-site evaluation by an accreditation team, the accreditation report on the organization's compliance with standards, objective evaluation of the report by the Accreditation Commission, monitoring to ensure continuing compliance.
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
NAEYC is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8.
The NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NAECP) administers a national, voluntary accreditation system to help raise the quality of all types of preschools, kindergartens, and child care centers. In this accreditation process, a child care center's administration, staff, and parents join with representatives of the NAECP to determine whether their program meets nationally recognized criteria for high quality. Accreditation is achieved through self-study and facilitates lasting improvements in the quality of the early childhood program.
- National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)
Created by the National Child Care Association to encourage the availability of high quality early education programs for America's families, the NECPA developed the Automated Accreditation Indicator System (AAIS). NECPA standards combine health and safety standards and developmental standards. The accreditation process examines program areas such as professional development, work environment, outdoor environment, developmental program, parent and community involvement, and administration.
Created by the National Child Care Association to encourage the availability of high quality early education programs for America's families, the NECPA developed the Automated Accreditation Indicator System (AAIS). NECPA standards combine health and safety standards and developmental standards. The accreditation process examines program areas such as professional development, work environment, outdoor environment, developmental program, parent and community involvement, and administration. It is designed for center-based programs.
- National Afterschool Association
The National AfterSchool Association, formerly the National School-Age Care Alliance, was founded in 1987. It is a professional association with a membership component that includes more than 7,000 practitioners, policy makers, and administrators representing all public, private, and community-based sectors of after-school and out-of-school time programs, as well as school-age and after-school programs on military bases, both domestic and international. As the leading voice of the after-school profession, they are dedicated to the development, education, and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours. The accredit afterschool programs.
In addition to accreditation, there are programs that offer a professional development credential. The most prominent one is the Child Development Associate. It is offered by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition.
- The Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition
The Council for Professional Recognition was created to improve the professional status of early childhood care providers. Its mission is to emphasize the importance of and increase the recognition of professionals who care for children from birth through five years of age in child care centers, family child care homes, and as home visitors. It operates seveal programs in its pursuit of this mission.
The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program is a program that focuses on the skills of early care and education professionals. It is designed to provide performance-based training, assessment, and credentialing of child care staff, home visitors, and family child care providers. Caregivers with some experience and training may apply directly to the Council when ready for assessment. However, those who need to obtain training and experience may apply to the Council's one-year training program, the CDA Professional Preparation Program (CDA P3).
The Army School-Age Credential (ASA) promotes quality service to parents and children by providing specific standards, training and evaluation for School-Age staff members and Family Child Care providers. It is an opportunity for those working in an Army School-Age setting to gain professional recognition for demonstrating competence in their on-the-job skills. Staff must complete the Army Foundation Level Individual Development Plan (IDP) to be eligible to apply for the Army School-Age Credential.
The following selection of organizations provide support for family child care accreditation. They have been selected for inclusion in order to highlight the variety of ways in which regional and local groups can facilitate the accreditation process.
- Child Care, Inc. works directly with parents, employers, child care providers, and policy makers in an effort to connect New York families with the child care they need and to create a public will to systematically improve and expand early education and child care. In addition to accreditation support services, Child Care, Inc. runs the Facilitated Accreditation Project to help early childhood programs in New York City gain NAEYC accreditation. Programs components include a Directors' Support Group, onsite technical assistance and training for directors and staff.
- Child Care Resources of Missoula serves Missoula, Mineral, and Ravalli's counties in Montana. Its mission is to help families, child care providers and community members, including businesses assure that high quality child care is available to all area children. As part of its services, Child Care Resources of Missoula offer a broad array of training as well as individualized technical assistance and accreditation support services to help providers develop and maintain quality programs. CCR offers several accreditation support services. It runs several monthly support group meetings to help providers work through the accreditation study guides and provides on-site visits to offer individualized assistance. CCR also helps providers obtain scholarships to cover accreditation fees.
With the start of its first program in 1878, Associated Early Care & Education was New England's first child care and early education agency. Almost 127 years later, Associated remains committed to providing high quality, affordable child care to Boston's working families and their children. Associated's Department of Quality Assurance provides individualized accreditation support consulting for early childhood programs in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Medford and Winthrop.
- Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. (CCCW) is a private, non-profit resource and referral organization dedicated to optimizing the quality of life for children and working parents. The Council works with parents, child care providers, employers, and community organizations to help promote the availability of quality child care services in Westchester County, New York. The Council provides accreditation services and aid to Westchester family child care providers, including peer support workshops and program improvement grants to programs ready to undertake the accreditation preparation process.
- Community Coordinated Child Care is a nonprofit agency dedicated to improving the quality, accessibility and affordability of child care and related work/family services for Union County, New Jersey. CCCC partners with the United Way of Union County to operate an accreditation facilitation program.
- Family Child Care Education Association is a nonprofit organization, supported by volunteers, state, federal and private funding. FCCEA provides a wide range of services for Child Care Educators serving children who are from low-income families in northwest Pasadena and Altadena, CA. Its goal is to support Family Child Care providers helping them to provide quality care for children and to train Family Child Care Educators. As part of its effort to support accreditation, it offers accreditation grants.
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