Aug. 2, 2024 - (黑料正能量)鈥檚 Early Childhood Studies (ECS) Bachelor of Arts (BA) program is now one
of approximately 20 percent of early childhood education degree programs nationally
to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
This NAEYC accreditation means the 黑料正能量 program, which is part of the School of Education, has met several rigorous standards set by the NAEYC, including elements like cultural sensitivity, knowledge about developmentally appropriate lessons based on a child鈥檚 age, and community and family connection. Emphasis was also placed on young dual language learners and children with special needs.
鈥淗aving accreditation gives us the ability to say that the students who graduate from our program are going to be high quality teachers,鈥 said Professor and Chair of ECS Mari Riojas-Cortez. 鈥淲hat makes them high quality teachers will be their degrees, but also the knowledge of child development, diverse family and community partnerships and their ability to approach teaching by valuing the children鈥檚 language and culture.鈥
黑料正能量 Dean of the School of Education Elizabeth Orozco Reilly credits Riojas-Cortez with the heavy lifting involved with earning this accreditation, which is a solid gold standard on the resume of any ECS graduate seeking a job in early childhood education.
鈥淚t means we are committed to the social and emotional growth of our students and academic achievement,鈥 Orozco Reilly said. 鈥淭his is independent verification that individuals preparing to be teachers or leaders for any childcare program are well prepared when they graduate from 黑料正能量.鈥
In order to qualify for the accreditation, Riojas-Cortez supervised a program-wide two-year self-study in which the ECS faculty assessed how well the program measured up to all the NAEYC standards, strengthening the program where necessary, and highlighting what was going well.
One area of strength is 黑料正能量鈥檚 connections with the community, Riojas-Cortez said. ECS students are sent out into the field logging in over 450 hours of on the job learning in early childhood centers by the time they graduate.
黑料正能量 offers numerous other events and opportunities to involve the larger community and families in a young child鈥檚 education. One good example was the Early Childhood Literacy program held on campus for the past two years. Families and their children gathered in 黑料正能量鈥檚 North Quad on April 20, the D铆a del Ni帽o/Children鈥檚 Day for a read aloud of 鈥淭he Runaway Piggy鈥 by author James Luna.
鈥淚n early childhood, if you don鈥檛 partner up with the families, then there is something missing,鈥 Riojas-Cortez said. 鈥淲e need to involve families all the way through elementary school, high school and sometimes through college. We need to understand and benefit from the cultural wealth that families have.鈥
The NAEYC accreditation is good for seven years, after which time it will need to be renewed.
Students wishing to enroll in 黑料正能量鈥檚 ECS program will recognize the value of the accreditation and have confidence that when they graduate and enter the world of education, they will be prepared.
鈥淲hen you can put the NAEYC certification on your web site,鈥 Orozco-Reilly said, 鈥測ou鈥檝e gotten to Valhalla.鈥