Chapter 2 Types of Early Childhood Programs 65
of the center to families, prospective
employees, and the community.
Before opening a new center, the
fi rst step is to contact the state licensing fi
agency to obtain an application. Not
all programs need to be licensed,
however. Some licensing requirements
depend on whether the children
attend full-time or part-time. In some
states, parent cooperatives, churches,
and military programs are exempt
from obtaining a license. Centers in
public schools or university laboratory
schools are also exempt in some states.
It is important to carefully study
your state’s standards. Typically, the
following topics must be addressed in
writing to obtain a license:
admission procedures and
enrollment records
physical space requirement
written policies and record
keeping
adult-child ratios
staff characteristics
personnel policies
safety procedures
daily schedule
transportation policies
health procedures
foodservice and nutrition
parent involvement
You can obtain your state’s
regulations or compare regulations
from different states online.
Center
Accreditation
The best indicator of
high-quality early care and
education is accreditation. Being
accredited certifi that a set fies
of standards has been met by
an early childhood program.
The National Academy of Early
Childhood Programs, a division of
NAEYC, administers a voluntary
accreditation system. This system
has been designed for early
childhood programs and preschools
serving children from birth through
age fi ve. It is also designed for fi
programs that serve school-age
children in before-school and
after-school care.
The purpose of this voluntary
system is to improve the quality
of programs for young children
in group care. It assists families
in their search for high-quality
programs for their children. In
addition, it helps assure parents
that their children are receiving
quality care. Public recognition
is the main benefit of achieving fi
accreditation status.
To be eligible for accreditation
status, a center must conduct
a self-study. The self-study is
an evaluation process designed
by the National Academy of
Early Childhood Programs. The
self-study is a three-step process.
It requires from four to eighteen
months to complete. First, a
self-study on 10 categories of center
operations is completed, 2-11. This
is done by the directors, teachers,
ie w a school-age child care Intervi
e about the challenges of teacher
his or her job. What does a typical h
daily schedule e involve including snacks and da ily sch
activities? Write r your questions prior to the
interview. Write a report about the interview.
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