Accreditation

Daniel Island Academy is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC.

Since 1985, NAEYC accreditation has denoted a commitment to quality early childhood education programs. Voluntary NAEYC accreditation required year long self-study involving the staff, administration, and families. This self-study was verified by a trained validator, and then presented to a national commission for the final phase of accreditation. As part of the accreditation process begun in conjuntion with the school's opening, Daniel Island Academy participated in the self-study, followed all NAEYC criteria including staff/child rations, curriculum, state qualifications, and development. This enabled parents and students to realize all of the benefits of accreditation from the opening day of the school. Less than two percent of the approximately 500 Childcare centers in the Tri-County region are accredited. None of these facilities was designed, programmed, and staffed with the NAEYC accreditation standard from the beginning.

As thousands of child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and after-school programs have seen, accreditation is a powerful tool for raising the quality of early childhood education. It provides a process through which early childhood professionals and families can evaluate programs, compare them with professional standards, strengthen the program and commit to ongoing evaluation and improvement.

NAEYC Accreditation has a set of criteria for childcare facilities that include staff qualifications, the physical environment, nutrition and food service requirements and curriculum. In order to receive and maintain its accreditation, Daniel Island Academy must meet and maintain the strict guidelines required by NAEYC.

For information about the National Association for the Education of Young Children, please visit http://www.rightchoiceforkids.org/