Accreditation

The SUNY Cortland Child Care Center was first granted accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on December 24, 1996. Continuous reaccreditation has been granted since that time. The Center is currently NAEYC accredited through December 1, 2023. This prestigious recognition has been achieved by 8,000 early childhood programs nationally. The Center is the first in Cortland County to be nationally accredited.

NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous, voluntary process by which early childhood programs demonstrate that they consistently meet national standards of excellence. Child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and before- and after-school programs are eligible to seek NAEYC accreditation.

Programs seeking accreditation undergo an intensive self-study, collecting information from parents, teachers, administrators, and classroom observations. They receive an on-site visit, conducted by early childhood professionals specially trained by NAEYC, to validate their self-study results. All of this information is independently reviewed by a team of national experts who grant or defer accreditation. Accreditation currently lasts for five years.

The heart of NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child's experience. The process carefully considers all aspects of the program's provision — including health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications, administration, and physical environment. The greatest emphasis is on the children's relationships with the staff and how the program helps each child grow and learn — intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally.