Early last week, we received the following letter regarding the awarding of national accreditation to the Y Preschool in Towson, now making ALL Y in Central Maryland Preschools among a very select group of preschools across Maryland and the U.S. which are nationally accredited.

Congratulations!

The NECPA National Accreditation Council and Commission have determined that your program upholds the NECPA standards and therefore receives full Accreditation designation. Your program now joins a select group of early childhood care and education programs nationwide and internationally which have shown an exceptional commitment to professional and programmatic quality through Accreditation. Your program is commended for achieving full Accreditation. This achievement highlights the dedication of your program to high quality early childhood care and education.

Please see your attached temporary NECPA Accreditation Certificate…

Thank you and congratulations,

Sarah Passaro
NECPA Accreditation Manager
National Early Childhood Program Accreditation

The excerpts below from the NECPA website indicate just how significant and high the standards are to achieve national accreditation, which is a completely voluntary thing on the Y’s part. We’re not required to have national accreditation, but we believe in going well beyond what is required and aspiring to operate at the highest level of quality. NECPA accreditation of our preschools provides one more of many indicators that young children who experience a Y early childhood education receive the absolute best possible preparation for success in school and in life.

The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) was established to encourage quality and recognize excellence in early childhood programs throughout the United States and other countries … standards are based on publications from highly esteemed organizations, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Health and Safety Performance Standards developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association.

…. assessed “areas include quality adult and child interaction, staff framing, health and safety; physical environment, administration, and parent and community relationships….The NECPA accreditation system is a statistical predictor system based on 25 years of research in the field of early care and education. These sources of information represent the current, best state of practice in the field of early care and education.

I am very proud of our terrific early childhood program and team. Your work is transformational and has multi-generational impact. As those of you who know me will attest, I am a stickler for many things, one of which is the importance of precision in language. When people casually state that the Y does “child care” or “day care,” I am quick to correct them. That’s because we go well beyond simply caring for kids (which to me is essential but clearly insufficient) and focus intensely on ensuring that young people are developing intellectually, socially and emotionally.

Please join me in sending heartfelt congratulations to our entire early childhood team! Your leadership and commitment to the success and well-being of young children is second to none, as the people at NECPA can attest!

All the best,

John

John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland