NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) accreditation is a comprehensive review and ratings process that has become the national benchmark of quality in early childhood education. Administered by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) — the world’s largest organization of early childhood professionals — the voluntary process includes internal self-study and continuous quality improvement. This in-depth and intense process is only undertaken every five years. In 2023, Friends Center achieved an average of 95% for all 10 Early Learning Program Standards, which are research-based best practices for young children’s development and learning.
Created with input from experts and educators around the country, these standards include:
- Promoting positive relationships for all children and adults to encourage each child’s sense of individual worth
- Implementing a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development: cognitive, emotional, language, physical, and social
- Using developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching practices