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National Child Care Accreditation
Many parents wonder how they can know if a child care center or family provider is giving quality care to
their child. While parents are the best ones for deciding if a provider meets their needs and shares their
values and beliefs, there are some systems in place that help programs
be accountable for the services and care they provide.
While licensing by the health departments in each state measures the basic general health, safety and welfare of a
child while in care, national accreditation measures and helps to improve the level of quality of the care provided.
Accreditation is a voluntary process for early learning programs. The National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC) www.naeyc.org
accredits child care centers and preschool programs. The National Association of Family Child Care
(NAFCC) www.nafcc.org accredits child care providers. The National School Age Care
Alliance (NSACA) www.nsaca.org accredits school age programs.
Programs in Missouri can also be accredited through a state organization, the Missouri Center for
Accreditation, www.moaccreditation.org.
Why does quality matter? Quality matters because children’s experiences from birth to age five will affect the rest
of their lives. Children in high quality early learning programs tend to do better in math, language and reading.
Attending quality programs helps ensure that children are ready to learn when they enter school. Most of all, quality
programs benefit children of all income levels and family backgrounds.
The Kansas City community and surrounding areas are committed to assisting early learning programs to achieve
national accreditation. Many programs are already nationally accredited, and many more are working towards
that goal.
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