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| Message from the Director |
Last year the rest of the SMES school community was involved in a self-study and review for WASC accreditation. This year it’s our turn! St. Margaret’s ECDC is proud to have been one of the first centers in Orange County to achieve accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1987. Beginning this year, centers wishing to receive accreditation must adhere to a newly revised set of criteria. The ECDC teachers met this summer to start the intense self-study process. We share a renewed commitment to the quality that our children and families deserve.
What does it mean to be an NAEYC accredited program?Programs accredited by NAEYC (The National Association for the Education of Young Children) must demonstrate a commitment to providing a high quality program for young children and their families. While the NAEYC accreditation process examines the total program, greatest emphasis is placed on the quality of interactions among staff and children and the developmental appropriateness of the curriculum--what really happens to the children. Health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications, physical environment, and administration are all reviewed during accreditation, but primary consideration is given to the nature of the child's experience.
The primary focus area of the Academy's Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs is Children, which incorporates five early childhood program standards (relationships, curriculum, teaching, health and assessment of child progress), each advancing children's growth in realms of learning and development. High program quality also depends on Teaching Staff, Partnerships, and Administration, the three additional focus areas, which encompass five additional program standards (teachers, families, community relationships, physical environment and leadership and management).
We value your partnership. Watch for ways that you will be able to join us on this journey. Our room parent chairpersons are leading the way with an interactive PARENT POST in the front hall. Check here for a monthly prayer, lunch-making tips, ideas for fun, family activities and a notebook with recent preschool publications (Wee Bits, flyers and announcements.)
We can’t wait for the halls and playground of the preschool to be ringing with excitement and joyful chatter as friends reconnect or get to know each other for the first time. The preschool is coming alive again...and we love it! Thank you for trusting us with your precious children. We know it will be another year full of purposeful play, joy and learning.
Please remember to mark your calendars for Back to School Night--Wednesday, September 27th.
Ingrid Andrews, ECDC Director
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