The National Association of Educators of Young Children (NAEYC) awarded every state preschool in Santa Barbara County with full accreditation in April, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Education Office. This comes after years of effort put forth by the office’s Child Development Program, which saw more than a decade’s worth of initiatives come to fruition with the accreditation.
Having multiple preschool programs in one county apply simultaneously for accreditation is a rarity, explained Child Development Program Director Trudy Adair-Verbais in the statement.
“When we did it the first time, we were one of the first offices to put forward all of our schools at once. The industry standard at the time was to submit just a single school or site,” she said. “People told me we were crazy, but I felt strongly that we would be better served going at it from a team approach. Each teacher could support other teachers, and as an administrator, I could better support in the process if we underwent it together.”
NAEYC assessors conducted classroom visits at the six locations as well as interviews, portfolio reviews, observation, safety record reviews, and handbook reviews to ensure the locations met children’s academic, emotional, and physical needs.
La Honda State Preschool at La Honda Elementary, Just for Kids State Preschool at Hapgood Elementary, Learning Place State Preschool at Crestview Elementary, and DeColores State Preschool at Clarence Ruth Elementary in Lompoc; Santa Ynez State Preschool at College School District in Santa Ynez; and Los Alamos State Preschool at Olga Reed Elementary in Los Alamos met the NAEYC’s strict standards of care and quality in order to receive the accreditation.
This article appears in May 21-28, 2015.
