Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 62) OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS Mark R. Ginsberg, Executive Director OBSERVACIONES Y REFLEXIONES En el ámbito de la primera infancia se hood field is filled with dedicated professionals committed to educating young children in the most engaging, enthusiastic, and developmentally appropriate way possible and to working closely with the families of young children and the communities in which they live. Every family strives to find the very best early education program for their child that is accessible and affordable. That’s where NAEYC Accreditation comes in—to help guide parents when choosing an early childhood education program. For more than 20 years, NAEYC Accreditation has been the mark of quality in early childhood education. In 1985, the early childhood field recognized the need to address the increasing demand to provide young children with high-quality early learning environments. Coupled with appeals from parents, thought leaders, teachers, and policy makers, this led to the creation of NAEYC Accreditation. The early childhood landscape has changed dramatically since 1985. Today’s reinvented NAEYC Accreditation is an effort to adapt to the changes, strengthen the systems in support of accreditation, and raise the bar for quality in the field. However, it is not enough to believe in NAEYC Accreditation; we are also responsible for emphasizing its value to different communities—parents and families, teachers, policy makers, and the business sector. With this in mind, NAEYC created and released the online publication Choosing Accreditation: A Guide to Recognizing Quality in Early Childhood Education. The publication contains a side-by-side comparison chart of the NAEYC Accreditation system and other similar systems across the country. It also provides basic information about national accrediting bodies. The information is The early child- based on data available as of December 2007. Please visit www.rightchoice forkids.org and download your free copy of Choosing Accreditation: A Guide to Recognizing Quality in Early Childhood Education. For many years, NAEYC has raised awareness of its accreditation system primarily within the field. The comparison chart is directed to the numerous stakeholders outside the field. The NAEYC Accreditation system ensures that accredited programs meet the program standards and accreditation criteria that are the foundation of the system and that young children enrolled in those programs are provided highquality learning environments. NAEYC is the national leader in accrediting programs serving young children. NAEYC Accreditation is the mark of quality in the field and the “right choice for kids.” From its inception in 1985 to the research-based reinvention implemented in September 2006, NAEYC Accreditation continues to be the largest and most well-respected early childhood accreditation system in the world. Today, it helps families across the United States and its territories and in Department of Defense installations worldwide to choose the best possible early childhood experiences for young children. More than 9,200 NAEYC Accredited programs serve nearly a million children each day. To learn more about NAEYC Accreditation or to help families find an accredited program in your community, visit our Web site, which has a searchable index of NAEYC Accredited programs—www.naeyc.org/accreditation. Let’s make 2008 another great year by making it possible for more of our nation’s young children to have access to NAEYC Accredited programs. Copyright © 2008 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp. hallan innumerables profesionales dedicados a educar a niños pequeños de la manera más interesante, entusiasta y apropiada a su desarrollo que sea posible, y a colaborar estrechamente con las familias de niños pequeños y las comunidades en las que viven. Cada familia se esfuerza por hallar para su hijo el mejor programa de cuidado y educación que sea accesible y costeable. En esto radica la utilidad de la Acreditación de NAEYC: ayudar y orientar a los padres de familia a la hora de escoger un programa de cuidado y educación. Durante más de 20 años la Acreditación de NAEYC ha sido el indicio de la calidad en la educación de niños pequeños. En 1985 se reconoció en el ámbito de la primera infancia la necesidad de tratar la demanda creciente de ambientes de aprendizaje de alta calidad para niños pequeños. Esto, además de las solicitudes de padres de familia, pensadores, maestros y formadores de políticas, llevó a la creación de la Acreditación de NAEYC. El ámbito de la primera infancia ha cambiado drásticamente desde 1985. La Acreditación de NAEYC se ha reinventado en un esfuerzo por adaptarse al cambio, fortalecer los sistemas de apoyo de la acreditación y elevar las normas de calidad en el ámbito. No obstante, no es suficiente que estemos convencidos del valor de la Acreditación de NAEYC; también somos los responsables de enfatizar el valor de la misma para diversas comunidades: los padres de familia, los maestros, los formadores de políticas y los negocios. Teniendo presente lo anterior, NAEYC creó y difundió la publicación electrónica “Choosing Accreditation: A Guide to Recognizing Quality in Early Childhood Education” (La opción de la acreditación. Guía para reconocer la calidad en la educación de niños pequeños). Esta publicación contiene una tabla para comparar el sistema de Acreditación de NAEYC con otros sistemas parecidos en el país, además de presentar información fundamental sobre los comités nacionales de acreditación. Esta información se basa en datos dis- 62 Young Children • March 2008 http://www.rightchoiceforkids.org http://www.rightchoiceforkids.org http://www.naeyc.org/accreditation http://www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp
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