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Archive for the ‘Accreditation’ Category

Early Educators Gala

Posted in Accreditation, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Early educators, Strategies for Children, tagged #EarlyEducators on May 5, 2016| 1 Comment »

Tiffany Sheets, Sonia Gomez-Banrey, Marie St. Fleur, Flossy Calderon, Jennie Fitzkee, Abby Morales, Mary Lu Love, Melissa Russell, and Amy O’Leary

There was a happy crowd at last month’s annual Early Educators Gala — an evening of dinner, dancing, and awards that was emceed by our own Amy O’Leary, director of Strategies for Children’s Early Education for All Campaign.

“Early education and care is getting a lot of attention at the state and national level. We’re seeing new programs and more funding,” O’Leary said. “But at the heart of all we do are early educators who build nurturing relationships with young children. These relationships prepare children to be happy successful learners. It was an honor to help celebrate this work at the gala.”

“Early education professionals are the delivery system for the healthy development of young learners,” said Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Tom Weber, who attended the celebration. “The gala was an inspiring celebration of passion and practice, showcasing the tremendous contributions that early educators are making every day to children, families and the Commonwealth.” (more…)

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Costing-Out Universal Pre-K Options for Massachusetts

Posted in Accreditation, Achievement gap, Dept. of Early Education and Care, Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education, Early educators, Family child care, Federal, Head Start, NAEYC, National, Pre-kindergarten, Professional development & preparation, Research on April 10, 2014| 6 Comments »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

A new report, “Building a Foundation for Success,” looks at the unmet preschool needs of children in the commonwealth — and proposes three ways that Massachusetts might expand its preschool programs to create more access.

Released by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), a nonprofit research organization, the report examines the number of preschool-age children in Massachusetts and the public funding streams that support their enrollment. The report costs out “a range of options for expanding and improving early education and care for these 3- and 4-year-olds in Massachusetts.” The options proposed range in cost from $153 million to $606 million in increased annual state funding on top of what is currently being spent. This increased state funding would be bolstered by non-state sources such as sliding scale parent fees or local education funding, depending on the model used.

“Right now we have a very fragmented system and that leaves many kids without access to any early education at all,” Noah Berger, MassBudget’s president, told the Boston Globe. However, Berger added that there was a growing consensus that a wide expansion of early education options was good for children and for the economy.

Carolyn Lyons, Strategies for Children president and CEO, is encouraged by the report. “This new report by MassBudget builds upon ongoing state and local policy conversations across the commonwealth on how to pay for and structure high-quality universal pre-k. Research shows that high-quality early education has (more…)

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Credit for Accreditation

Posted in Accreditation on August 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

Today we congratulate the center- and school-based early education programs in Massachusetts that earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children since May 14, 2013. We also offer congratulations to the family child care providers in Massachusetts who earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) since May.

To those who earned accreditation or reaccreditation, NAEYC offers a marketing and communications tip: Spread the word to your local newspaper or other media outlet. Accredited programs can find a news release template in their program record. It’s a great way to publicize your accomplishment and draw attention to the importance of high-quality early learning settings.

NAEYC accreditation is a widely accepted proxy for quality, and Massachusetts boasts more NAEYC-accredited programs than any other state in the country. The Department of Early Education and Care includes accreditation in the standards for the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), designed to assess program quality, provide incentives for programs to improve and offer valuable information for parents. (more…)

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Credit for Accreditation

Posted in Accreditation on May 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

Today we congratulate the center- and school-based early education programs in Massachusetts that have earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children since February 19, 2013. We also offer congratulations to the family child care providers in Massachusetts who have earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) since the beginning of 2013.

To those who have earned accreditation or reaccreditation, NAEYC offers a marketing and communications tip: Spread the word to your local newspapers and media outlets. Accredited programs can find a news release template in their program record. This is a great way to publicize your accomplishment and highlight the importance of high-quality early learning settings.

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Early Educators Awards Gala

Posted in Accreditation, Early educators, NAEYC, Pre-kindergarten on May 1, 2013| 1 Comment »

Micaela Bedell for Strategies for Children

On April 12, 2013, some 300 early educators gathered in Randolph for the 12^th annual Early Educators Awards Gala sponsored by the Boston Alliance for Early Education and the Boston Association for the Education of Young Children.

The gala celebrates Greater Boston’s early childhood educators and their contributions to the development of young children. The event also recognizes outstanding educators and high-quality programs.

Our own Amy O’Leary, Early Education for All Campaign Director, served as the evening’s Mistress of Ceremonies. Amy also received the association’s Abigail Eliot Award. The award honors winners’ outstanding commitment to young children and the early childhood profession through work done on behalf of the association as well as for distinguished professional achievement. The award is named after Abigail Adams Eliot, a pioneer in early childhood education and in training teachers of young children.

Six other early educators who were nominated by their peers also won awards.

Ida Yee Koo, lead toddler teacher at Buds and Blossoms Early Education and Care Center in Boston, won for leadership and management. (more…)

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Credit for Accreditation

Posted in Accreditation on February 19, 2013| 1 Comment »

Photo courtesy of Associated Early Care and Education

NAEYC accreditation is a widely accepted proxy for quality, and Massachusetts boasts more NAEYC-accredited programs than any other state in the country.The Department of Early Education and Care includes accreditation in the standards for the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), designed to assess program quality, provide incentives for programs to improve and offer valuable information for parents.

The rigorous NAEYC accreditation process measures 10 standards that range from curriculum to family engagement. (more…)

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Credit for Accreditation

Posted in Accreditation on January 29, 2013| 2 Comments »

Photo courtesy of Associated Early Care and Education

NAEYC accreditation is a widely accepted proxy for quality, and Massachusetts boasts more NAEYC-accredited programs than any other state in the country.The Department of Early Education and Care includes accreditation in the standards for the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), designed to assess program quality, provide incentives for programs to improve and offer valuable information for parents.

The rigorous NAEYC accreditation process measures 10 standards (more…)

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Credit for Accreditation: Family Child Care

Posted in Accreditation, Family child care on January 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children

Today we offer congratulations to the family child care providers in Massachusetts who earned accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) in the fourth quarter of 2012 – October 1 to December 31.

Kathy Modigliani, who runs the Bay State-based Family Child Care Project, remembers noticing the positive impact going through the accreditation process had on center-based teachers. Why not do something similar for family child care providers? Today NAFCC operates the only nationally recognized accreditation system established specifically for home-based family child care providers. Modigliani led its development between 1995 and 1999, when she was based at Wheelock College in Boston.

NAFCC accreditation has standards in five content areas: relationships, environment, developmental learning activities, safety and health, and professional and business practices. (more…)

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Credit for Accreditation

Posted in Accreditation on December 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Associated Early Care and Educaton

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Credit for Accreditation

Posted in Accreditation on November 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Photo: Associated Early Care and Education

NAEYC accreditation is a widely accepted proxy for quality, and Massachusetts boasts more NAEYC-accredited programs than any other state in the country.The Department of Early Education and Care includes accreditation in the standards for the state’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), designed to assess program quality, provide incentives for programs to improve and offer valuable information for parents.

The rigorous NAEYC accreditation process (more…)