Itsy Bitsy People Palace, Inc.
Receives NAEYC Accreditation

Taken from Citizen Newspaper, Week of November 29, 2001

Itsy Bitsy People Palace, Inc., 7419 S. Cottage Grove, was recently granted accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This prestigious recognition has been achieved by approximately 7% of early childhood programs nationwide-some 7,584 programs as of July 1, 2001, serving 688,987 children. “We are extremely pleased and honored to be accredited. It was strict, yet rewarding process,” said Mary Sawyer Director.NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous, voluntary process by which early childhood programs demonstrate that they meet national standards of excellence. Child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and before and after school programs are eligible to seek NAEYC accreditation. Approximately 15,000 programs are engaged in seeking accreditation.

Programs seeking accreditation undergo an intensive self-study, collecting information from parents, teachers, administrators, and classroom observations. They receive an on-site visit, conducted by early childhood professionals especially trained by NAEYC, to validate their self study results. A team of national experts who grant or defer accreditation independently reviews all of this information. When awarded, accreditation is valid for three years. “The heart of NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child’s experience. The greatest emphasis is on the children’s relationships with the staff and how the program helps each child grow and learn intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally.”

NAEYC accreditation began in 1985, with the first program accredited in 1986. NAEYC is the nation’s oldest and largest organization of early childhood professionals dedicated to improvement of quality early childhood education.