Accreditation

When looking for quality childcare you should expect the necessities of cleanliness, friendliness and state licensure.  To be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children ( NAEYC ) the childcare center must go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the governing state. 

The NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation administers a national, voluntary accreditation system to help raise the quality of all types of preschools, kindergartens, and child care centers. Currently there is about 8000 accredited childcare centers and preschools serving nearly one million children and their families. About 10% of programs in the nation are accredited. Since the system began in 1985, NAEYC Accreditation has provided a powerful tool through which early childhood professionals, families, and others concerned about the quality of early childhood education can evaluate programs, compare them with professional standards, strengthen the program and commit to ongoing evaluation and improvement. The entire Accreditation system was reinvented in 2006. The standards and criteria became much more stringent to align with the most recent research on brain development and the influence of the first few years of a child's life on future development. In 2008 we were successful in becoming earning accreditation under the new system!

Since 1985, NAEYC has offered a national, voluntary accreditation system to set professional standards for early childhood education programs, and to help families identify high-quality programs. Today, NAEYC Accreditation represents the mark of quality in early childhood education. Over 8,000 child care programs, preschools, early learning centers, and other center- or school-based early childhood education programs are currently NAEYC-Accredited. These programs provide high quality care and education to nearly one million young children in the United States, its territories, and programs affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently awarded accreditation to the Nurturing Nest through 2013. The Nurturing Nest was originally awarded accreditation in 1999, and has since maintained that status. Of the approximately 420 licensed early care and education programs in Montgomery County, about 4% are currently accredited by the NAEYC. Accreditation is a solid indicator of a high quality program.

The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Bureau of Child Care and Development awarded a Star Rating to The Nurturing Nest in March of 2009 as
              part of the Step Up to Quality Program.