2.1 Regulations Regulations are the rules that govern the operation of an early childhood program. Regulation is also an ongoing process. Preschools and child care centers should be evaluated regularly—when they are new to assure that the facility and staff are ready to provide care and education to young children, or when they change in a significant way, such as expanding the number of classrooms or hiring a new director. Early childhood programs should also be regularly inspected and evaluated as part of the routine responsibilities of ensuring children's needs are being met. The responsibility of regulation is shared among many groups: families, early childhood professionals, the community, as well as local, state, and federal government. Any citizen, whether a parent, teacher, or community member, is able to influence the regulation process when voting for legislators who create the regulations that govern early childhood programs. Families, teachers, and community members also participate if they report problems with an early childhood program, such as poor sanitation practices, to government agencies. Also, families benefit from the regulation process when they choose programs for their children that are regulated. The regulation process gives families, as well as staff and community members, tangible ways to measure the quality of their early childhood programs. The role of government in the regulation process is significant. One of the most important ways government is involved is through licensing. A license is a certificate that grants permission by a governing body to do something. A driver's license, for example, gives you permission to drive a car. A child care license gives an organization permission to operate an early childhood program. We will discuss licensing in more detail later in the chapter. Regulations are usually documented as a list of standards organized by categories, such as personnel, facility, meals, and so forth. A standard is a specific requirement, rule, or level of achievement used to measure quality. One example is teacher-child ratios. In many states the minimum standard for teacher-child ratios for infant care is one to four. There must be at least one adult supervising every four babies at all times. Unlike curriculum standards, which usually describe specific skills or knowledge that students should master, licensing standards describe observable practices carried out by staff or visible characteristics of an early childhood facility, such as the presence of a cushioning surface under climbing equipment. The role of the director in the regulation process is to be knowledgeable about these standards and to guide staff in ensuring that the program meets every minimal standard. Administrators collect and organize documentation, such as lunch menus or enrollment forms, that demonstrate compliance with standards. Early childhood administrators are also responsible for inspiring staff to seek and achie ...

1. 2.1 Regulations
Regulations are the rules that govern the operation of an early
childhood program. Regulation is also an ongoing process.
Preschools and child care centers should be evaluated
regularly—when they are new to assure that the facility and
staff are ready to provide care and education to young children,
or when they change in a significant way, such as expanding the
number of classrooms or hiring a new director. Early childhood
programs should also be regularly inspected and evaluated as
part of the routine responsibilities of ensuring children's needs
are being met.
The responsibility of regulation is shared among many groups:
families, early childhood professionals, the community, as well
as local, state, and federal government. Any citizen, whether a
parent, teacher, or community member, is able to influence the
regulation process when voting for legislators who create the
regulations that govern early childhood programs.
Families, teachers, and community members also participate if
they report problems with an early childhood program, such as
poor sanitation practices, to government agencies. Also,
families benefit from the regulation process when they choose
programs for their children that are regulated. The regulation
process gives families, as well as staff and community
members, tangible ways to measure the quality of their early
childhood programs.
The role of government in the regulation process is significant.
One of the most important ways government is involved is
through licensing. A license is a certificate that grants
permission by a governing body to do something. A driver's
license, for example, gives you permission to drive a car. A
child care license gives an organization permission to operate

2. an early childhood program. We will discuss licensing in more
detail later in the chapter.
Regulations are usually documented as a list of standards
organized by categories, such as personnel, facility, meals, and
so forth. A standard is a specific requirement, rule, or level of
achievement used to measure quality. One example is teacher-
child ratios. In many states the minimum standard for teacher-
child ratios for infant care is one to four. There must be at least
one adult supervising every four babies at all times.
Unlike curriculum standards, which usually describe specific
skills or knowledge that students should master, licensing
standards describe observable practices carried out by staff or
visible characteristics of an early childhood facility, such as the
presence of a cushioning surface under climbing equipment.
The role of the director in the regulation process is to be
knowledgeable about these standards and to guide staff in
ensuring that the program meets every minimal standard.
Administrators collect and organize documentation, such as
lunch menus or enrollment forms, that demonstrate compliance
with standards.
Early childhood administrators are also responsible for inspiring
staff to seek and achieve high standards. For example, when
training new staff members to follow policies and procedures,
directors can take the time to explain the reasons behind the
regulations and standards. Wiping down the changing table after
each diaper change is not just a required practice, it helps
prevent the spread of illness to both children and staff members.
As the role models for staff, early childhood administrators
must always be working toward excellence and adopt an attitude
that values continual improvement.
Minimum Standards Versus Voluntary Standards
When you are shopping for a new car, you are probably looking

3. for a vehicle that will be safe to drive. You want the brakes to
work well, and you will likely want bumpers and front air bags
that will protect you in case of a crash. But how do you really
know if the car you pick will be safe?
Most consumers, when they buy a new car, rely on minimum
standards set by the government to ensure that the car they
ultimately drive will be safe. For their part, auto manufacturers
must meet these standards or they will not be allowed to sell
their products. Some automobile companies may choose to
exceed the minimal standards and add additional features, such
as side air bags. These additions improve the quality of the car,
making it even safer to drive.
As with the auto industry, the field of early childhood education
is subject to a set of minimal safety standards that are set and
monitored by the government. In the case of early childhood
programs, these requirements are mandated by law and
represent the threshold that any facility, whether an in-home
day care or a community-run preschool, must meet to receive a
state-issued child care license. These minimum standards
describe the base level of quality that is required in order to
legally operate a program.
In addition, voluntary standards are levels of quality that exceed
the minimal standards and are commonly accepted among the
profession as indicators of high quality. For example, while the
state may require that lead teachers have at least a high school
diploma, a program may set the standard higher, by requiring
that each of their lead teachers have a bachelor's degree.
Programs may choose to meet voluntary standards, but they are
not required to do so to operate. The source of these voluntary
standards may be an outside source, such as the National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), or
they may be standards created internally by staff or board
members, based on the program's philosophy, mission, or

4. vision.
The choice to exceed minimal standards is usually made by
program leaders, that is, the administrators, owners, or board
members of an early childhood organization. The reasons for
seeking a higher standard of quality vary. Providing a high-
quality program may be part of the program's mission and
vision. Or improving program quality may be a marketing
strategy to increase program enrollment.
Accreditation
In addition to these minimal standards, many programs seek to
achieve an additional threshold of quality through the process of
accreditation. Accreditation recognizes and certifies the
achievement of high standards that go beyond the minimal
standards required for a license. Many other industries, such as
hospitals, use accreditation to identify exemplary practices. In
some communities, public or private funding is tied to
accreditation, and programs must be accredited to receive
certain grants.
Accreditation is both a status and a process. As a status, it
provides a tangible certificate of approval from an agency or
group that is accepted as knowledgeable in best practice. As a
process, accreditation reflects an ongoing commitment to self-
study, reflection, evaluation, and continuous progress toward
high quality. Accreditation is a supplement not a replacement
for a license. The accreditation process will be discussed at
greater length later in this chapter.
The Benefits of Regulation
As with so many other industries, there is a clear relationship
between higher standards in early childhood education
environments and better quality. According to the NAEYC,
there are several key structural factors that are most related to
high quality in early childhood programs. The relationship

5. between these key factors and program quality has been
frequently confirmed by research studies. The following are
among the most significant factors addressed in most state
licensing codes:
Small group sizes. This includes low teacher-child ratios as well
as small classroom groups. When children are taught and cared
for in small groups, they receive more responsive, sensitive, and
individualized attention.
Professional staff with training and education. Higher levels of
education and specialized training for both teachers and
administrators result in higher quality care and education for
young children.
There is a causal relationship between the demands of a
licensing system and the quality of service in the programs it
regulates. Research demonstrates that those states with more
effective regulatory systems have a greater number of high-
quality early childhood programs (National Association for the
Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 1997a). The
effectiveness of the licensing system depends on both the code
itself—and level of quality it requires—and on the efficient
functioning of government agencies that operate the licensing
system.
When the minimal licensing standards are comprehensive and
rigorous, when licensing agencies have adequate resources to
effectively monitor the early childhood programs under their
jurisdiction, children benefit by receiving quality care that
protects them from harm, promotes healthy development, and
provides opportunities to learn. Families benefit from knowing
there are safeguards that protect and support their children.
Staff members benefit because many regulations, such as the
limit on the number of children who can be supervised in one
classroom, reduce stress and improve working conditions for
teachers and caregivers.

6. The Challenges of Regulation
The systems that regulate early childhood programs are not
without problems and weaknesses. Because licensing codes are
inconsistent, there is no clear consensus nationwide for what
constitutes minimum standards. Advocates of high quality care
and education can also stress that the minimal standards
required in most states are too low to ensure that all children
will thrive.
Other challenges result from fluctuations in public funding for
state agencies. Sometimes licensing offices are short-staffed
and inspectors do not have enough time to visit every program
in their jurisdiction. Few would argue, however, that the
challenges of regulation outweigh the benefits.
2.2 License Requirements
In most states any early childhood program that provides full-
day child care services must have a license to operate. In fact,
the license itself is called a "child care license." Often part-day
preschools are required to obtain a license as well.
The document that describes a state's licensing regulations
typically covers a broad range of topics and may be quite long
and detailed. State licensing standards for child care centers or
family child care homes usually begin by describing the
requirements for an individual or an organization applying for
or renewing a license. For example, an application for a child
care license may require a list of board members and a copy of
the bylaws for the organization seeking the license.
Definitions
The definition of terms is often among the very first sections in
the text of a state's licensing code. For example, the state of
California uses the terms Child Care Center or Day Care Center
to mean any child care facility of any capacity, other than a
family child care home, in which less than 24-hour per day
nonmedical care and supervision are provided to children in a

7. group setting (State of California Health and Human Services
Agency, 2004). In most states, (including, for example, North
Carolina) the terms family day care or family child care mean
regularly provided care, protection, and supervision of children
in the caregiver's own home for periods of less than 24 hours
per day while the parents or authorized representatives are away
(North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services,
2012).
Child Care Centers
The text of the licensing code for child care centers will usually
include instructions for maintaining and renewing a license as
well as guidelines for reporting suspected child abuse and
neglect. In most states, anyone who works with children is
considered a mandated reporter, a person who is required by law
to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect to
appropriate government authorities. Early childhood
administrators are not only mandated reporters themselves, they
are also responsible for making sure their staff is trained to
identify and report suspected child abuse and neglect.
Family Child Care
Licensing standards for family child care providers share some
similarities with the codes for child care centers. Both types of
programs require a license and regular inspections and renewals
in order to care for groups of children. In some states, however,
family child care providers are not required to obtain a license
if they are caring for a very small number of children. For
example, in North Carolina, a child care provider caring for just
two children would not be required to obtain a license.
For family child care providers that do require a license, there
is a limit to the number of children who can be cared for in the
home. For example, in North Carolina, the maximum number of
preschool-age children allowed in a family child care is five
(North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services,

8. 2012).
While the categories of minimum standards for family child
care homes, such as staffing requirements and safety
procedures, is very similar to that of child care centers, the
standards for homes are usually not as rigorous. In some states
the operator of a family child care home does not necessarily
have to be a high school graduate, as long as that individual
meets other criteria, such as attending and passing first aid and
CPR training (see the Focus On feature box).
Focus On: Teacher Qualifications
In most states, the minimal requirements to work as a teacher in
an early childhood program are significantly less rigorous than
the requirements for teachers in the primary and secondary
grades (NAEYC, 2009b). For example, in the state of Texas,
teachers in public elementary schools must have earned a
bachelor's degree, completed a teacher training program, and
passed a teacher certification test. In contrast, child care
workers in Texas are only required to have a high school
diploma and eight hours of preservice training. This broad
difference between the qualifications for professionals who
work with young children and those who work with older
children is representative of the gap seen across all 50 states.
Many would argue that teaching very young children requires
even greater skill and knowledge than teaching older children,
and research indicates that higher teacher qualifications mean
better quality early childhood programs. For example, multiple
studies, such as the long-term High/Scope Perry Preschool
Study, suggest that practitioner education and training are
among the most critical factors for creating positive outcomes
for children.
Source: Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early
Learning, Early Childhood Education Teacher Quality, 2011.

9. Common Categories
The licensing code for child care centers also includes the list
of minimal standards, usually organized into categories such as
Organization and Administration, Staffing, Facility and
Equipment, Nutrition and Food Service, and Health and Safety.
In some states, licensing code may also include standards
related to curriculum and parent communication. The minimum
standards in a state licensing code do not require that programs
follow a specific philosophy or teacher specific lessons, but
some licensing standards do require that programs post lesson
plans for parents and that the curriculum planning be led by
someone with early childhood training and credentials.
Organization and Administration
Licensing standards related to organization and administration
address the oversight and operations of the program. Specific
standards pertain to accountability issues, such as the required
paperwork and reporting necessary to receive, maintain, and
renew a license. The early childhood administrator is
responsible for managing this process as well as maintaining
program documentation, such as child files and staff files, that
will be inspected by the licensing representative. In many
states, administrators are also required to create a risk
management plan, a plan that identifies potential health and
safety risks, specifies ways to reduce or eliminate the risks, and
establishes procedures to be followed in an emergency.
Staffing
Some of the most detailed requirements for a child care license
are related to the staffing of the program and the supervision of
the children. The licensing requirements may specify the
minimum qualifications for administrators, teachers, and child
care workers, the personnel records (including health screenings
and criminal background checks) necessary for each employee,
and the maximum number of children who can be enrolled in
each classroom or in the entire facility.

10. Facility and Equipment
Licensing regulations also typically document the requirements
for the facility and the classroom space. They may specify the
need for an outdoor play space, the number of hand washing
sinks, or the minimum requirements for toys and learning
materials that are available to the children each day. Standards
may also specify how the facility should be cleaned and what
types of materials, such as lead-free nontoxic paints, should be
used to maintain the physical space.
Nutrition and Food Service
The preparation and serving of food is an intensely regulated
activity because there are so many potential risks to children's
health if adequate care and appropriate food safety procedures
are not followed. State licensing standards may address a broad
range of nutrition and food service issues, such as the sanitation
of space used to prepare and store food, the training of
personnel who will be handling the food, and the creation and
distribution of menus. Nutrition and food service is a category
of issues that are often regulated at multiple levels of
government including federal, state, county, and city.
Health and Safety
Health and safety standards are among the most important in
licensing code. If a licensing inspector finds that a program is
in violation of significant health and safety requirements, the
consequences may be severe. Violations in safety standards that
could put children at risk of harm, such as failure to maintain
the facility's smoke detectors and fire alarm system, may result
in the immediate closure of a program until the program can
demonstrate that the issue has been resolved.
Other examples of standards related to health and safety include
the requirements for storing and administering medications to
children, the maintenance of immunization records, and
restrictions on the use of extension cords, fans, and space

11. heaters in classrooms.
Variations Among States
Licensing requirements may vary quite a bit from state to state
or, in some cases, even from county to county within each state
(National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance
Center and the National Association for Regulatory
Administration, 2008). Requirements can vary not only with
regards to the qualifications of early childhood teachers, but
also according to the age and developmental level of the
children served in the program. For example, the teacher-child
ratios for infants and toddlers are usually much more restrictive
than teacher-child ratios for older children, such as
preschoolers, age three to five.
The state government's jurisdiction over the licensing process is
mandated by laws passed by the state legislature. Each state
establishes an office that plays the primary role in regulating
early childhood programs. For example, in Rhode Island, the
Department of Children, Youth and Families supervises the
child care licensing process. In Tennessee, child care licensing
is the responsibility of the Department of Human Services. In
Illinois, licenses are obtained through the Department of
Children and Family Services (Illinois Department of Children
and Family Services, 2005).
In many states, the term "license" is used to describe the
document that authorizes an early childhood program to operate,
but in some states child care registration or day care
certification may be used instead. Regardless of the variations
in terminology, the similarity between all these offices is that
the government has the authority to determine which individuals
and organizations will be allowed to operate early childhood
programs in their state.
Local Building and Health Codes
In addition to state licensing, many early childhood programs

12. are also regulated by local building and health codes. In some
areas, early childhood programs may also be required to obtain
a zoning permit. County or city governments may require that
the buildings in which an early childhood program operate meet
specific fire safety codes, such as providing a specific number
of exit doors or installing sprinkler systems in rooms where
children will be napping. Local government may also have
health codes that require programs to maintain specific
documentation of children's medical and dental records. For
example, in the city of Philadelphia, commercial child care
centers must obtain a state license, a city zoning permit, and a
Certificate of Occupancy from the owner of the building (City
of Philadelphia, n.d.). Additionally, they must pass an
inspection from the Department of Public Health.
Often these local codes may cover topics that are not at all
addressed by the state licensing requirements, such as a
requirement that programs obtain a municipal business license
in order to charge fees and tuition to families. Sometimes,
however, there is overlap between state and local codes. For
example, the state licensing regulations may require a fire
extinguisher in every classroom, while the county building code
requires only one fire extinguisher per floor. When this
happens, the program must follow the most restrictive code. In
this example regarding fire extinguishers, the more restrictive
code is the state license.
Exemptions
Some early childhood programs are exempt from the licensing
process, which means they are not required to obtain a license
from the state. Very small programs, such as a family child care
home that provides care for only one family in addition to the
operator's own family, are usually exempt from licensing. Also
programs that operate under the supervision of another type of
regulating agency, such as a state board of education, or that are
primarily recreational, like a gymnastic program run by a park

13. district, are often exempt. The types of programs that are
exempt vary quite a bit from state to state.
Licensing Process
Child care center inspectors working in each state's licensing
agency are usually assigned to specific regions or counties for
the purposes of issuing initial licenses and overseeing the
maintenance and renewal of licenses. The titles of these
professionals who are responsible for performing licensing
inspections vary and may include licensing representative, or
licensing agent, but their primary function is to visit and inspect
early childhood programs to monitor their compliance with
licensing standards.
Licensing inspectors spend most of their time out in the field,
inspecting child care facilities for initial license applications
and conducting drop-in visits and renew inspections in programs
that are already licensed. The regulation of child care centers is
often separated from the regulation of family child care homes,
as the licensing process and regulations for each usually vary.
Licensing a New Program
The process of obtaining an initial license for a new early
childhood program, whether the program will be led by an
individual owner or by an organization or agency, usually
begins with the gathering of information to complete a licensing
application. Many licensing agencies conduct regular
information sessions for people who are interested in opening
child care centers or family child care homes. An application
usually includes contact information for the administrators or
operators of the program, the ages and number of children to be
served, the hours of operation, the general plans for the facility
and playground spaces, the qualifications of staff members, a
description of the services and meals to be provided, and details
of the financial resources available.

14. Most state agencies require a fee for the processing of the
license application, usually around $100, but sometimes
additional fees are charged, such as a fee for conducting a
criminal background check on the center's administrators or
owners. The timing of the license application process varies,
from just a few weeks to three or four months.
The early childhood administrator is responsible for ensuring
that all the documentation for the application is complete and
accurate. Often the role of the administrator includes regular
follow-up calls or email messages to check on the status of the
application and to provide additional information as needed.
Let's follow one program administrator through the process of
obtaining a license to operate a small for-profit child care
center:
Mila Rogers has long had the dream of running her own early
childhood program. She's decided to open a child care center in
a storefront near a commuter train station. Mila thinks that the
location is ideal because the parents can drop their children off
at the center before they catch the train to work and pick them
up on their way home. She plans to call the center "Child Care
Depot" and use the image of trains in her logo, signs, and
marketing materials and to decorate the facility.
Mila attends an information session presented by the local agent
of the state child care licensing agency. She gathers information
about how to submit a licensing application and learns about the
minimal staff requirements for education and experience and
some suggestions for how to prepare the facility for the
inspections that are required as part of the licensing process.
Next, Mila signs a lease on the space near the train station and
begins overseeing the renovation of the interior and exterior of
the building, as well as the construction of an outdoor

15. playground space in the back of the building. Mila uses the
information and documents she gathered at the information
session to make decisions about how to prepare the space,
taking care to make sure the facility meets all the building
codes, such as providing the appropriate hand washing sinks,
smoke detectors, and exit lights.
Meanwhile, Mila is also gathering the documents she needs for
the initial child care license. Mila documents the financial
resources, in the form of investments from friends and family,
that she has collected to pay for the start-up of the program and
for reserves as she begins running the program. Mila also begins
interviewing and hiring her first staff members, taking care to
make sure her employees will meet all the minimal standards for
education and experience in the field of early childhood
education.
When the facility renovations are near complete, Mila schedules
building inspections with the county fire department and health
department. Representatives from these agencies visit the site
and inspect the building inside and out. Mila is relieved to learn
that she has passed these initial building inspections. Then she
and her new team of teachers prepare the classrooms for the
children, making sure that the materials and equipment meet the
state's requirements for a safe and appropriate environment for
young children.
Mila calls the state licensing agent assigned to her region and
schedules the licensing inspection. During this time Mila is also
talking with families who are interested in enrolling in the
program, but she knows she can't enroll the children and
schedule their start days until she receives the license to open
the program.
The day arrives for the initial licensing inspection at the Child
Care Depot. The licensing agent walks through each classroom

16. and shared space with a checklist, taking notes on the
environment, materials, and equipment. The agency also
reviews Mila's paperwork and files, checking to see if all initial
requirements have been met and systems are in place for the
staffing and enrolling the program. At the conclusion of the
visit the licensing agent signs the approval for the initial license
and schedules a follow-up visit for an additional inspection
after the program is in operation. The agent explains that the
primary purpose of the follow-up visit will be to check that the
actual operation of the program is aligned with the plans that
have been detailed in the license application.
When the official license arrives in the mail, Mila hangs it
proudly in the front hallway of her school. The Child Care
Depot is open for business!
Maintaining and Renewing a License
Once an early childhood program has obtained an initial license,
there are usually processes in place to ensure that the program
continues to consistently meet the minimal standards for
licensing. In most states, programs are subject to both scheduled
visits and unscheduled drop-in visits by a licensing agent. The
purpose of the drop-in visit is to see how well the program
functions on an ordinary day, without having time to prepare or
clean up the facility prior to the inspection.
If a program does not meet the minimal licensing requirements,
whether during a scheduled or unscheduled visit, the agent will
document exactly what is observed to be out of compliance and
set a deadline for correcting it. In severe cases, when children's
health or safety is at risk, the program could be shut down until
the corrections are made.
In most states, licenses must be renewed every three to five
years. The renewal process is similar to the initial application,
though usually not as extensive. The owner or administrator

17. must fill out an application, pay a fee, and schedule an
inspection. During the time between renewals, programs are
usually required to submit regular reports to the state licensing
agency, documenting any significant changes to the facility,
staff, or program since the time of the initial application or
most recent renewal.
Licensing Concerns and Controversies
Most early childhood professionals and policy makers agree that
the licensing process plays an important role in raising program
quality and protecting children from harm, but the system is not
without flaws. The NAEYC has identified a number of areas of
concern regarding state licensing systems (NAEYC, 1997a).
One is that many states set the bar too low; the standards for
key factors, such as teacher-child ratios, that have a significant
impact on children's safety and learning are not aligned with
research-based recommendations for best practice. For example,
the state of Ohio allows licensed programs to care for infants
with a five to one teacher-child ratio even though the consensus
in the field is that four to one or, ideally, three to one, is best
for these very young children.
Another area of concern is that every state allows for programs
that meet specific criteria to be exempt from regulation. For
example, programs that operate as part of a public school
system, and Head Start programs, which are operated through a
federal Office of the Administration for Children & Families,
are exempt from state licensing regulation. These exemptions
can result in greater inconsistencies in standards of quality
between early childhood programs in each community, and also
create the potential for programs to operate without adequate
accountability. An additional concern is that licensing offices
are short staffed and have not been granted adequate support or
authority to effectively monitor the early childhood programs
under their jurisdiction.

18. To respond to these concerns, NAEYC and other advocacy
groups recommend removing or narrowing the conditions for
allowing programs to be exempt from licensing, that additional
staff and other resources should be allocated to licensing
agencies to allow them to better implement and monitor the
regulatory process, and that more steps should be taken to
educate families, providers, and the public about the importance
of responsive, quality care and education during the early years.
2.3 The Details of Accreditation
As stated earlier in the chapter, accreditation is the formal
process of recognizing or certifying the attainment of high
standards that go beyond the minimal standards required for a
license. One of the most widely recognized agencies of
accreditation is the NAEYC, which accredits early childhood
programs through its NAEYC Academy. As of 2012, there are
more than 6,000 programs accredited through NAEYC (NAEYC,
2012b).
Other well-known accrediting agencies include the National
Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), which accredits
family child care homes, and the National After School
Association (NAA), which accredits after school programs.
Table 2.2: Examples of Accrediting Agencies
Agency Name
Website
Description
National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
www.naeyc.org/accreditation
NAEYC, as the largest membership
organization representing
early childhood professionals,
oversees a program
accreditation process that is one of the
most widely respected in the field.

19. National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
www.nafcc.org
The NAFCC accreditation process is
specific to programs
operating in a family child care home.
National Afterschool Association(NAA)
www.naaweb.org
NAA has offered an accreditation process
to programs
providing after-school programs, but has
discontinued thisservice. All program
accreditations will expire in 2014.
NAA isdeveloping a partnership with
COA (see below) to offer accreditation to
their membership.
Council on Accreditation
www.coanet.org
COA has developed accreditation
standards for after-school
programs and is now partnering with
NAA to oversee an accreditation process.
Association for Early Learning Leaders (formerly the National
Association of Child Care Professionals)
www.naccp.org
The Association for Early Learning Leaders
offers accreditation
using research-based criteria.
American Montessori Society (AMS)
www.amshq.org
AMS offers a voluntary accreditation
process for Montessori

20. schools, overseen by the Montessori
Schools Accreditation Commission.
Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
www.acsi.org
Accreditation through ACSI is for schools
seeking to includethe spiritual aspects
of the program in the accreditation
process.
Accreditation is an arduous and somewhat costly process. It
requires an ongoing commitment to self-study, reflection, and
evaluation. Once program leaders decide to seek accreditation
the process may take a year or even longer (NAEYC, 2011a).
The expense of accreditation includes the fees to the accrediting
agency as well as the cost of any improvements or
enhancements made as a result of the self-study process. For
some programs, the additional expense of accreditation can add
thousands of dollars to their annual budget.
Yet the benefits of accreditation are many. Programs invest in
accreditation for a variety of reasons. One is a commitment to
quality. Program leaders believe the process benefits children
and families because the improvement they make will result in
positive outcomes for children. Early childhood administrators
also use accreditation as a tool to facilitate teacher supervision
and professional development. The accreditation process
provides opportunities for individual teachers to develop their
skills, reflect on their practices, and meet specific professional
goals. For example, if an administrator is working with an
individual teacher to help her improve her management of the
transition from lunch to nap, the observations and
documentation involved in an accreditation self-study can help
that teacher focus on her weaknesses, develop new strategies to
address the issue, and measure whether her changes have been

21. successful.
Another reason programs invest in accreditation is because of
what the accreditation certificate communicates to families.
Parents choosing an early childhood program often feel
overwhelmed by the decision, and accreditation is the mark of
quality that families are looking for. Thus, seeking accreditation
may be smart marketing, but it is also the first step in building
trusting relationships with families.
For some programs financial benefits associated with
accreditation make the expense of the process worthwhile,
either because the accreditation certificate gives their program
an edge over competitors, or because they will benefit from the
incentives built into some public funding models. This incentive
process, called tiered reimbursement, is discussed in the Focus
On feature box.
Focus On: Tiered Reimbursement
In some states, early childhood programs are offered a financial
incentive, in the form of additional public funding, to seek
accreditation. This system of incentives for raising program
quality is called tiered reimbursement. Programs that seek and
achieve accreditation receive higher levels of public funding
than programs that meet minimal standards. For example, in
Maryland there are four levels of tiered reimbursement, each
one recognizing a program's achievement of a certain level of
program accreditation, staff credentialing, continued training,
enhanced learning environment, staff compensation, parent
involvement, and program evaluation.
Participating child care programs must actively pursue program
accreditation and complete activities that will help them
develop policies and procedures to ensure that the services they
provide constitute the best possible care for the children and
families they serve. The tiered reimbursement program is

22. voluntary, and all licensed child care centers and registered
family child care providers are encouraged to participate
(Office of Planning, Research, Evaluation, and Administration
for Children and Families, 2010).
NAEYC Accreditation Position Statement
The NAEYC accreditation process has undergone many changes
over the years. In 2005 the accreditation criteria was reviewed
and overhauled. In 2011 the accreditation process itself was
updated, ensuring that the process retains the rigor that gives
meaning and measure to the certification of quality. These
adaptations and updates make it a model accreditation system.
The ongoing improvement in the accreditation process parallels
the commitment to continuous improvement required of
programs seeking and maintaining accreditation.
Although NAEYC is not the only accrediting body that works
with early childhood programs, the fact that NAEYC also has a
strong advocacy arm makes it an influential voice in shaping
policies and perceptions about accreditation and its role in
improving the lives of young children. NAEYC has published
recommendations for public policy regarding the purpose and
function of accreditation (NAEYC, 1999). These
recommendations, which relate to any form of accreditation, not
just NAEYC, begin with an acknowledgement that accreditation
is not a replacement for regulating systems such as state
licensing. Rather accreditation is intended to support and build
on these foundations.
The position statement also emphasizes the importance of
communicating with families and with the general public to
inform them of the value of regulatory and accreditation
systems, and to raise public awareness that these systems
support children's learning and development. Other important
points include a statement that the accreditation process should
utilize standards that are based on sound research. Also, the
process itself should include opportunities for staff reflection.

23. The accreditation position statement also addresses the topic of
tiered reimbursement. The danger in attaching monetary
incentives to accreditation is that it could put undue pressure on
programs to rush through the self-study or to misrepresent their
program. On the other hand, the benefit is that programs
committed to quality have a new avenue for receiving support
that will help them sustain a high level of quality. The NAEYC
position on this issue is that funding should be made available
to programs seeking to improve quality to help them cover the
cost of improvements as well as accreditation fees.
The Accreditation Process
Although the accreditation process can vary according to which
body accreditation is being sought from, the general structure of
a program improvement process usually incorporates the four
steps
1: Enrollment in the Accreditation Process
Program administrators contact the accrediting body and request
accreditation materials. Usually there is a required enrollment
form and an initial fee. Administrators plan the accreditation
timeline, including benchmark goals for achieving each step of
the self-study process.
2: Complete the Self Study
Using the self-assessment tools provided by the accrediting
body, administrators lead the staff in compiling evidence and
documents that demonstrate how well the program meets the
criteria for accreditation. For example, the self-study for
NAEYC accreditation addresses all 10 categories of
accreditation criteria, from interactions between teachers and
children to curriculum and assessment, as well as staff
qualifications, facility and materials, and more.
In areas where the self-study reveals that the program does not
meet the criteria for quality, the early childhood administrator
creates a plan for making changes, and improvements are made.

24. Often parents of the children enrolled in the program are
included in the self-study process, either by completing a
program evaluation survey or participating in a committee or
task force.
3: Compile All Materials
Once program leaders are confident that the program meets the
criteria for accreditation, the program submits documentation,
often in the form of a portfolio, for consideration by the
accrediting body. Additional accreditation fees may be required
at this time. Materials may include classroom observations,
parent surveys, documentation of curriculum and assessment,
and charts showing staff credentials.
4: Confirmation of Quality
The final step in an accreditation process usually involves some
kind of visit or inspection to validate the documentation or
portfolio the program has compiled in application for the
accreditation certificate. After the onsite assessment, the final
decision regarding accreditation is often made by a panel or
committee of experts in the field. If accreditation is awarded to
the program, there may be follow-up visits and reports that are
required to maintain accreditation until the certificate expires
and programs must apply for a renewal.
The length of time between certification and renewal can vary
by accrediting body, but in most cases program accreditation is
good for three to five years. The renewal process is often just as
rigorous as the initial accreditation process, especially if the
program has had significant staff turnover or other changes
during the interim.
Accreditation Story
[The following narrative is fiction, a composite of interviews
and anecdotal information from directors who have led the
accreditation process in their early childhood programs.]

25. From Nancy R., child care director
"I first heard about accreditation when I was a beginning
preschool teacher more than 20 years ago. NAEYC accreditation
was still pretty new then, and I didn't know of any other
programs that had it. The school director handed out self-study
booklets, and the teachers took turns visiting each other's
classrooms and making suggestions for improvements. We made
changes in our classrooms, such as adding a science area. We
also made some changes in how we organized our day. I
remember we had long discussions about how we could expand
the block of time for free play so that children would have more
opportunities to really explore the open-ended, sensory
materials like clay.
"The whole experience was a very collaborative process. When
we felt that we 'fully met' the most important criteria, the
director sent in the program description. Our director reassured
us that we didn't have to be perfect. We thought we'd have to
wait a long time for our validation visit, but they came the next
week! The visit seemed to go smoothly. The validator spent an
hour in each classroom and then sat in the office reviewing files
for several hours. When she left she was smiling, but it was
frustrating that the validator couldn't tell us right away whether
or not we'd get accredited.
"Waiting to hear back about the accreditation decision was hard.
I remember it took a long time, several months. When we
finally got the letter, everyone was so excited! We were one of
the first early childhood programs to earn NAEYC
accreditation. I'm still proud of that.
"Now that I'm a program director myself, I understand more of
the details and hard work that go into the self-study and
accreditation process. I've also seen how the NAEYC
accreditation process has grown and changed over the years.

26. The process is much more rigorous now, but I'm glad of that
because it gives the certificate much more meaning. All the
programs where I've worked have been NAEYC accredited or
seeking accreditation, so I wouldn't know what it's like not to
work toward that goal. Evaluating, reflecting, and making
continuous improvements are part of who I am as a
professional. The program I lead now will be due for a renewal
in two years, and I'm already planning the timeline for the
process. I'm proud to work at an accredited center."
2.4 Quality Rating and Improvement Systems
Each of the various types of regulation discussed in this
chapter, whether state licensing or some kind of voluntary
accreditation, can be considered individually as a discrete and
unique process led by an early childhood administrator for the
purpose of obtaining a specific license or certification. What all
these processes have in common is that they all involve program
evaluation. The purpose of program evaluation is to measure the
level of quality in an early childhood program. The role of the
early childhood administrator is to lead program evaluation with
the goal of continual improvement. Regulation, as seen in this
broader context, is just one element of a system of efforts to
assess and improve the quality of early childhood programs.
In recent years many state child care agencies have worked
toward coordinating the various options and efforts to regulate,
assess, and improve programs into a unified system. Quality
rating and improvement systems (QRIS), also sometimes known
as simply a quality rating system (QRS), are now available in
many states to address these multiple aspects through a unified
approach. The goals of these systems are to assess, improve,
and communicate the level of quality in early care and
education settings. QRIS are part of a state's broader quality
improvement continuum, and have the following five common
elements: (a) standards, (b) accountability, (c) program and
practitioner outreach and support, (d) financing incentives
specifically linked to compliance with quality standards, and (e)
parent education (National Child Care Information Center

27. [NCCIC], 2004).
Program Quality Indicators
One of the primary functions of a QRIS is to bridge the gap
between minimum standards, as represented by state licensing
code, and best practice, usually represented by national
accreditation standards. In most cases, a QRIS is structured with
three or four levels or steps that demonstrate a path to bridge
that gap. Progress from one level to the next is often tied to
financial incentives, such as tiered reimbursement.
Following are common categories of criteria that tend to be
used in a QRIS. These categories are used to define the levels,
steps, or pathways from minimum standards to best practice. In
QRIS, these categories are also used in parent education and
community outreach initiatives that spread the word about what
high-quality care and education looks like (Washington State
Department of Early Learning, 2007).
Administrative Policies and Procedures
Minimum licensing standards usually include some
requirements related to health and safety policies and
procedures and some mention of a family handbook. In a high-
quality early childhood program, however, best practice means
developing much more detailed policies and procedures, such as
an annual performance evaluation plan for teachers that
includes opportunities for self-evaluation and peer mentoring. A
state QRIS provides early childhood administrators with a
framework for moving from the minimum to best practice.
Learning Environment
While most state licensing standards usually include only a
brief mention of curriculum and room arrangement, best
practice, as defined by national accreditation standards,
includes the development of a developmentally appropriate
curriculum and a carefully arranged classroom environment that

28. maximizes opportunities for growth and learning.
Parent/Family Involvement
As mentioned, minimum standards usually focus on health and
safety issues, and this is true in the area of parent and family
involvement as well. Best practice in a high-quality early
childhood program takes a more comprehensive approach to
building trusting relationships with families by creating
multiple opportunities for formal and informal communication
and collaboration.
Professional Development and Training of Staff
Usually state licensing standards require only a few hours of
professional development activities for teachers and other staff
members working in early childhood programs. A QRIS not
only defines best practice for professional development, often
these state initiatives are able to link QRIS participation with
other publicly funded programs that provide opportunities for
early childhood professionals to attend workshops and courses
by providing scholarships and technical assistance.
Program Evaluation
State licensing standards do not require any formal program
evaluation beyond the completion of the licensing reviews and
inspections. Through QRIS, administrators lead their programs
through a program evaluation process using research-based
tools such as the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale
(Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 2004).
Staff Compensation
State licensing standards usually do not address staff
compensation. The steps or levels in a quality rating and
improvement system are defined to demonstrate that increases
in compensation and benefits, such as health insurance and paid
sick leave, are tied to increases in overall program quality.

29. QRIS in Action
Quality rating and improvement systems are still a relatively
new development in the field of early childhood education, and
many states are still in the process of planning and creating
QRIS. One of the challenges is aligning the state-level QRIS
activities with other program evaluation models. For example,
Head Start, a federal program, has its own distinct set of quality
rating and improvement requirements. Early childhood
administrators who oversee centers or schools with multiple
funding sources and accountability systems may find themselves
dealing with multiple sets of standards and requirements that
may be inconsistent with each other. As policy makers and early
childhood leaders continue to refine and develop QRIS, one of
the key issues will be aligning standards, levels, and
recommendations between systems (Westervelt, 2010).
Reference
Gadikowski (2013). Supporting Children's Socialization: A
Developmental Approach . Retrieved November 15, 2017, from
ashford.edu
1.1 The Benefits of Early Childhood Education
According to the National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC), the largest membership organization
for early education professionals, there are more than 300,000
licensed or regulated early childhood programs in the United
States (NAEYC, n.d.). This figure includes a variety of for-
profit and nonprofit program types, such as child care centers,
preschools, and family child care homes.
An early childhood care program is generally defined as an
educational or child care service provided to young children,
including infants through 5-year-olds and often also inclusive of
older children in after-school programs. Such programs usually

30. employ teachers or caregivers, as well as support staff such as
kitchen workers or office assistants. The amount of time
children spend in early childhood programs each day can vary
from a few hours in a part-day preschool program to nine hours
or more in a full-day child care center.
With rare exception, these programs are run by early childhood
administrators. The work of early childhood administrators has
a significant effect on the lives of young children and their
families, because early childhood education plays an important
role in the healthy development of children and sets the stage
for academic achievement and future success.
Meeting the Needs of Children and Families
For many parents, the top priority in enrolling their child in an
early childhood program is to find adequate child care services
so they can continue to work outside the home. In the United
States today, more than half of the mothers of children under
age five are in the labor force (United States Department of
Labor, 2008), and four out of five young children with
employed mothers receive child care by someone other than
their parents (Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2010).
Working parents may need flexibility in pick-up and drop-off
times, some may need extended hours care, and all want care
that is safe, high quality, and affordable.
Parents also enroll their children in child care or preschool
programs for social and cognitive reasons. They may wish for
their child to interact with other children, or they may seek to
develop their child's school-readiness skills to help prepare him
or her for kindergarten.
For children who are considered high risk for school failure,
there are programs that provide targeted supports to help
children develop language, literacy, and problem-solving skills.
For example, publicly funded early childhood programs help

31. children living in poverty who might not otherwise have access
to early childhood programs prepare for kindergarten and later
school success.
Positive Outcomes of High-Quality Care
The first five years of a child's life are a critical period of
development. Children are learning essential cognitive, social,
emotional, physical, and self-help skills necessary for success
in school and in life. A growing body of research suggests that
children who participate in high-quality early childhood
programs are more successful, both academically and socially,
than children in poor-quality programs (Child Trends Data
Bank, 2006) (see the Focus On feature box for a discussion of
what constitutes high-quality care).
Longitudinal studies, which track the progress and development
of children over a long period, show that children who
participated in comprehensive high-quality early childhood
programs show lasting developmental differences, such as
higher scores on reading and math tests (Frank Porter Graham
Child Development Center, 1999). Studies also show that
children who participate in high-quality programs fare
significantly better than those enrolled in poor-quality or
mediocre programs. For example, the Cost, Quality & Outcomes
study published by the National Center for Early Development
and Learning shows that children who were in high-quality care
programs when they were three and four years old scored better
on math, language, and social skills development through the
early elementary years than children in poor-quality care
(National Center for Early Development and Learning, 1999).
Some of the strongest evidence of the long-term benefits of
high-quality early childhood care and education comes from
studies that have evaluated preschool programs that serve
disadvantaged children, from small models, such as the Carolina
Abecedarian Project, to large-scale programs, such as Head

32. Start. These long-term studies suggest that high-quality early
childhood programs can have positive effects on children's
academic achievement well into the high school years. Children
who participated in high-quality programs achieve higher test
scores in math and reading than children who did not, and they
are also more likely to finish high school and attend college.
Quality early childhood care is so important that federal
legislation mandates support for programs serving children at
every age level, from infants through school-age. Currently,
there are more than a million children enrolled in federally
funded Head Start programs and more than 1.5 million young
children in child care programs funded by the Child Care
Development Fund, the primary federal program specifically
devoted to child care services and quality (Children's Defense
Fund [CDF], 2012).
Children whose backgrounds make them at risk for school
failure, such as children living in poverty, gain the most from
experience in quality settings and are more negatively affected
by poor-quality experiences (National Center for Early
Development and Learning, 1999). For instance, students who
participated in high-quality early childhood programs are less
likely to require special education classes in elementary and
secondary school than children enrolled in poor-quality
programs (Committee for Economic Development [CED], 2006).
Focus On: A Commitment to Quality
Running any kind of business is a challenge, whether it's a bank
or a button factory, but running an early childhood program
carries an extra level of responsibility because early childhood
administrators are trusted to oversee the education, social
development, safety, and well-being of our youngest and most
vulnerable citizens. The NAEYC states in its Code of Ethical
Conduct that an administrator of an early childhood program is
committed to providing a "high-quality program based on

33. current knowledge of child development and best practices in
early care and education" (NAEYC, 2006).
Administrators create and support quality by maintaining high
standards, which are the benchmarks or bases for measuring
progress or levels of quality. Some of the most significant
indicators of quality in an early childhood program include low
teacher-child ratios; professional credentials of teachers;
meaningful interactions between teachers, children, and
families; a safe and learning enriched physical environment; a
research based curriculum; and accurate child assessment.
Low teacher-child ratios
Having more teachers and fewer children in a class means the
children will receive more attention from their teachers and, as
a result, gain more from the experience. Minimum standards for
teacher-child ratio are usually mandated by state licensing
regulations, but these standards vary from state to state and
many high-quality programs far exceed these minimum
standards.
For example, while many states mandate a minimum four to one
child to teacher ratio for infant child care centers, numerous
research findings demonstrate that infants receive much more
responsive, sensitive care when the ratio is three to one (Center
for Law and Social Policy [CLASP], 2008). The NAEYC
accreditation criteria, often the benchmark of quality for early
childhood programs, requires teacher-child ratios for infants of
either three to one or four to one, for toddlers 12 to 28 months
no more than four to one, for 2-year-olds no greater than six to
one, and for preschoolers up to 5-years-old no more than 10 to 1
(NAEYC, 2008).
Professional credentials and training of teachers

34. Unlike primary and secondary school teachers, there is no
uniform set of credentials or competencies required for early
childhood teachers. Yet the level of teachers' educational
backgrounds directly affects the benefits children receive in an
early childhood program. Teachers with specialized college-
level training in topics such as child development, teaching
methods, and curriculum are better able to support and
challenge the children in their care (North Carolina Rated
License Assessment Project, n.d.). Hence, there is a direct
correlation between the leader's credentials and experience and
the overall level of program quality.
NAEYC Director Qualifications
• 10.A.02
The program administrator has the educational qualifications
and personal commitment required to serve as the program's
operational and pedagogical leader. This criterion can be met in
one of three ways:
The administrator. . .
has at least a baccalaureate degree. [AND]
has at least 9 credit-bearing hours of specialized college-level
course work in administration, leadership, and management
(which can be in school administration, business management,
communication, technology, early childhood management or
administration, or some combination of these areas.) [AND]
has at least 24 credit-bearing hours of specialized college-level
course work in early childhood education, child development,
elementary education, or early childhood special education that
encompasses child development and children's learning from
birth through kindergarten; family and community relationships;
the practices of observing, documenting, and assessing young
children; teaching and learning processes; and professional
practices and development.
• 10.A.03

35. The program administrator demonstrates commitment to a high
level of continuing professional competence (see Program
Administrator Definition and Competencies) and an ability to
promote teamwork.
• 10.A.07
The program administrator and other program leaders
systematically support an organizational climate that fosters
trust, collaboration, and inclusion.
(NAEYC Accreditation Criteria, 2012a)
Interactions between teachers, children, and families
In high-quality early childhood programs, teachers are attentive
and respectful to children and family members. For example,
during classroom conversations they respond to children's
questions and requests, make eye contact, smile, and use a warm
tone of voice.
Physical environment
Children benefit from a physical environment that is safe,
comfortable, and that provides opportunities for discovery and
learning. Teachers in high-quality programs organize the space
and the materials so that children have enough room to play and
explore.
Curriculum
The curriculum implemented in a high-quality early childhood
program fosters children's cognitive development in key content
areas such as language, literacy, mathematics, technology,
creative expression, and the arts. Curriculum should also foster
social, emotional, and physical development.
Child assessment

36. In high-quality early childhood programs, child assessment and
curriculum goals are closely aligned. The child assessment
process is ongoing and supports children's learning.
Early childhood administrators must continually monitor and
assess the quality of care and education provided in their
programs. Formal, standardized measures of quality, such as
quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) and
accreditation processes, will be discussed in Chapter 3. Early
childhood administrators also monitor quality informally every
day as they interact with children and staff members and
observe classrooms and playgrounds.
Economic Benefits
One of the great pleasures of working in the field of early
childhood education is having the opportunity to build
relationships and provide learning experiences that will benefit
children for the rest of their lives. Among early childhood
professionals there is often a sense of shared optimism that our
work with children will help make the world a better place.
Research suggests that this conviction is, indeed, true. Studies
indicate that children who participate in high-quality early
childhood programs provide an economic benefit to society
because as adults they make more valuable contributions to the
workforce and the economy.
High school dropout rates among students who attended high-
quality early childhood programs is about 25% less than
students who did not attend high-quality early childhood
programs. High school and college graduates earn higher
salaries, which means they contribute more to the economy.
Additional studies indicate that adults who participated in high-
quality preschool programs when they were young are more
likely to be employed in higher-paying, skilled jobs (CED,
2006).

37. In fact, child advocacy groups often assert that every dollar
invested in quality early care and education saves taxpayers up
to $13 in the form of future contributions to society and savings
in remedial programs (Calman & Tarr-Whelan, 2005). For
example, funding invested in early childhood education that
improves program quality will result in more children achieving
success in primary and secondary school, and more young adults
successfully entering the workforce. The dollars spent at the
front end, in early childhood care and education, will diminish
the need for remedial programs for students who drop out of
high school and for job programs that provide training for
adults struggling to find and retain employment.
The powerful message behind these projections is that everyone
benefits from a commitment to quality in early childhood
education, even citizens who are not parents of young children,
because tax dollars spent on early childhood programs will, in
the long term, enhance economic vitality.
1.2 Early Childhood Programs: The Basics
The range of different kinds of programs providing early
childhood care and education today is broad and varied. Unlike
the systems of public and private elementary schools, the roots
of which were established even before the American Revolution
(Mather Elementary School, n.d.), early childhood education
has grown into a diverse professional field only in the last 50
years. The establishment of the federal Head Start program in
the 1960s, combined with the growing need for child care to
support working families in the 1970s, led to the rapid
development and expansion of early childhood programs
(Elkind, 2009). Today, the variety of programs available is
robust, and they are run or sponsored by entities as diverse as
corporations, churches, the government, or private individuals
or families.
Variations Among Programs
Early childhood programs will vary in many ways, and the

38. diversity of the programs can be seen in terms of who is served
and what services are offered. Programs can fall into a number
of categories, including state agencies, federal agencies (like
Head Start), college- and university-run programs (including lab
schools), and private for-profit or nonprofit facilities (which
include family child care homes and child care centers).
Variations in Terminology
A program marketed as a school is usually a preschool or pre-
kindergarten (pre-k) facility existing primarily to provide
education services, while a program labeled as a child care
center is usually designed primarily to provide care and
supervision for infants and young children of working parents.
Programs that aim to blend both care and education are often
called child development centers. In practice, the terms school
and center are often used interchangeably in early childhood
education, and both care and education occur in all early
childhood settings.
Note that despite their name, early childhood programs labeled
as schools are not necessarily part of a larger academic
institution. Some may be independent, freestanding programs.
For example, Beacon Hill Nursery School is an independent
early childhood program in Boston that offers half-day classes
for toddlers and preschoolers. Likewise, the Child Care Center
of Evanston in suburban Chicago is a full-day preschool
program that both cares for and educates the children of
working families. However, some early childhood programs are
part of a larger public or private school, such as Anne Frank
Elementary School in Dallas, Texas, which is a large public
school that houses several pre-k classrooms.
Some child care programs are part of a large child care
corporation, such as KinderCare Learning Centers or Bright
Horizons Child Development Center. Others may be part of
community-based human service agencies, such as Boys and

39. Girls Clubs of America. Employers sometimes provide on-site
child care, such as the Day Care Center at the Connecticut
Children's Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, which
provides care for the children of hospital employees. Finally,
some early childhood schools include federally funded Head
Start programs that provide a structured curriculum, which
addresses specific learning goals in cognitive and language
development.
Home-Based Programs
In addition to schools and centers, most states allow individuals
to become licensed to care for groups of children in their
homes. While regulations vary from state to state, most licensed
providers must set aside a separate space, such as a basement,
specifically for child care activities. Many of the administrative
concepts and skills described in this book are also relevant to
family child care homes, but on a much smaller scale.
Ages Served
One characteristic that may differ from program to program is
the ages of the children served. Generally, early childhood
education is divided into four age groups:
infants (0–18 months),
toddlers (18–36 months),
preschoolers (3–5 years old), and
school-age (5–8 years old).
Some programs specialize in meeting the needs of just one age
group, such as a nursery school that offers preschool classes for
children between the ages of three and five. Some programs
may link two or more of these age groups, such as infants and
toddlers, together, and offer services that extend across both
developmental levels. Large early childhood programs may
provide services to all four of these age levels, from infant child
care up to after-school care for school-age children.

40. Hours of Operation
Generally, programs can be divided into two categories, part-
day or full-day. A part-day program might offer morning classes
for preschoolers that run from 9:00 a.m. to noon. In contrast, a
full-day program is usually open 10 or 11 hours each weekday
in order to provide child care services for working families.
Parents might drop off their children in the morning on their
way to work, perhaps as early as 6:30 or 7:00 a.m., and pick up
their children after work, around 6:00 or 6:30 p.m.
Serving Specific Needs
While many early childhood programs are created to provide
broad, general child care or educational experiences, some
programs meet a very specific need, such as a program that
offers gymnastics and dance classes to 4- and 5-year-olds, a
parent group that organizes parent-tot classes and parent
support meetings, or a drop-in child care program available for
shoppers in a department store.
In some cases, programs primarily serve the needs of parents,
providing child care, parent education, or parent support
services. In other cases, the purpose of programs is primarily to
serve the needs of children by providing educational, social, or
enrichment experiences. But all early childhood programs
provide some kind of balance, taking into consideration both the
needs of parents and of children.
Children With Special Needs
Many early childhood programs that serve a general population
of families also enroll children with special needs, such as
children with developmental delays or chronic medical
conditions. These inclusive programs work to integrate quality
programming for all children with the specialized intervention
or support services that are targeted to benefit the children with
special needs.

41. Other early childhood programs provide only services for
children with special needs. Early intervention programs and
therapeutic preschools provide therapy, care, and education to
infants, toddlers, and young children with special needs, as well
as support services for their families. Programs are designed to
respond to the individual needs of each child; for example, a
program might provide audiology services to a child with a
hearing impairment. Some of these services are mandated and
funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA). More details about administering programs for children
with special needs will be provided in Chapter 8.
Government-Funded Programs
Programs that receive public funds are primarily those that
provide full-day child care services to working families or those
that serve at-risk populations, such as families living in
poverty. Government funds or grants for early childhood
programs are created when new laws are passed that mandate
funding for a specific purpose. Funding levels may change over
time, depending upon legislative decisions. The money for
government funding comes from tax dollars, usually at the
federal or state level.
Whether a program receives government funding and to what
extent the program is funded by government grants will help
determine the structure and size of the program. For example, a
child care center that serves an economically diverse population
of families may choose to expand its services to include infants
and toddlers if it becomes eligible for Early Head Start funds.
For-Profit and Nonprofit Programs
A for-profit early childhood program exists for the financial
benefit of its owners or shareholders. Examples of for-profit
programs include small neighborhood child care centers run by
an individual or family, or a large child care chain, such as La
Petite Academy.

42. A nonprofit organization does not have owners or shareholders.
The organization exists for the greater good of the community
or of society. A nonprofit organization may make a profit, but
that profit must be used to further the mission of the
organization. Common examples of nonprofit programs include
small preschools associated with churches or other
congregations, and larger programs associated with national
human service agencies, such as the YMCA. A preschool or pre-
k program that is part of a public school is a nonprofit program,
as is a federally funded program like Head Start (see the Focus
On feature box).
Focus On: Head Start
Head Start is a federal program that provides early childhood
education to low income children in centers across the United
States. Head Start serves children at risk for school failure and
includes children, regardless of family income status, who have
disabilities. In addition to the educational component, Head
Start also provides health, nutrition, and family support
services. Funding for Head Start is provided to public and
private agencies in the form of government grants.
Head Start was founded in 1965 as a summer school program to
help disadvantaged children get ready for kindergarten. It was
soon evident that a few weeks of instruction was not enough to
support children who were living in poverty and help prepare
them for success in school. The program was expanded to year-
round preschool for children ages three to five.
In 1994 an infant-toddler component, Early Head Start, was
added to serve children from birth through age three. Over the
years, more than 27 million children have enrolled in Head Start
(United States Department of Health and Human Services,
2010).

43. The broad goals of Head Start are to enhance children's
cognitive, social, and emotional development. Head Start
provides a learning environment that supports children's growth
in the following domains:
language and literacy,
cognition and general knowledge,
physical development and health,
social and emotional development, and
approaches to learning.
Some studies of the outcomes of Head Start have been
supportive, some critical, and some mixed. Many children who
participate in Head Start still enter kindergarten with below-
average skill and knowledge levels. Proponents of Head Start
argue that the at-risk population of Head Start students would
be at even lower levels without Head Start services (United
States Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The
National Institute on Early Childhood Research has more
information on research about Head Start.
Sole Proprietorships and Franchises
Among for-profit programs, there are a wide variety of profit-
generating businesses models. One category is a sole
proprietorship, a business owned by an individual. Family child
care providers who run programs in their own homes are often
sole proprietors. Another common category is a franchise, a
business operated under a license from a larger company. The
Primrose Schools is an example of a corporation that licenses
its business model in return for a share of the franchise's
profits.
Administrative Accountability
For both for-profit and nonprofit programs, an organization
must set clear lines of authority for decision making and
accountability in order to function efficiently and effectively.
Typically, there is one administrator designated as the

44. "director" of the program. There may be other administrators,
such as an assistant director or curriculum director, who report
to the director. However, the person with the title of director
does not necessarily hold the highest authority. The director
may report to a board of directors, to a program owner, or to a
corporate headquarters, depending on the organizational
structure, or chain of command, of the program. That structure
is often represented in an organizational chart (Figure 1.1). The
chart illustrates to whom each staff member reports and shows
who is responsible for supervising other staff members.
In many early childhood programs, the director reports to a
board. Although board members are often volunteers, they are
legally responsible for the governance, or oversight, of the
organization. The responsibilities of board members are named
in the board bylaws, a document that describes the rules and
structure of the board of directors. Laws vary from state to
state, but all corporate boards, both nonprofit and for-profit,
must have bylaws to describe how they will be governed.
1.3 The Role of the Early Childhood Administrator
As demonstrated in the discussion of organizational structure,
the term administrator covers a broad category of different
leadership roles in early childhood programs. Administrators
may include center directors and assistant directors, curriculum
coordinators, teacher supervisors, and program managers. Most
frequently the leader of an early childhood program is the
designated authority who holds the title of "director" and is
accountable for the supervision of the program. For example,
Muriel is the director of a small independent preschool. Her
program offers part-day classes for three, four, and five year
olds. Her program is housed in three classrooms in a community
center that are rented from the local park district. Muriel's
program is small, serving about 50 children. In addition to
directing the program, Muriel serves as one of the coteachers of
the 3-year-old class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

45. Pam is the director of a large child care center that is part of an
urban human service organization. Her center serves about 300
children in full-day programs for infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers, as well as an after-school program for children in
kindergarten through fourth grade. Many of the families served
by Pam's program are low income and eligible for publicly
subsidized child care. Pam oversees an administrative team that
includes an infant-toddler specialist, a curriculum coordinator,
and an after-school coordinator.
Yvonne is the director and owner of a suburban child care
center located near a commuter train station. Her program offers
full-day child care for about 100 children between the ages of
three and five. In addition to child care services, Yvonne's
program offers enrichment programs such as dance classes and
art lessons. Yvonne started the program as the only
administrator. As the center grew, she added an assistant
director and a bookkeeper to her staff.
Leadership Styles
Having courage and confidence and being articulate and
assertive are characteristics often associated with strong
leadership. But the repertoire of skills and abilities needed for
effective leadership in an educational environment may be
somewhat different from those needed in other contexts. For
example, leaders in early childhood programs must be flexible
and resourceful in order to manage and respond to the ongoing
changes in the educational environment.
It is easy to say good leaders must be flexible and resourceful,
but it is more difficult to identify the specific behaviors and
actions that demonstrate effective leadership. What does good
leadership look like? Recent research that follows successful
leaders in educational settings reveals some key leadership
behaviors: establishing clear goals and expectations, using
resources strategically, and ensuring an orderly and supportive
work environment. Furthermore, good leaders promote and
participate in the teaching and learning process (Fullan &

46. Boyle, 2010). This research suggests that a successful
leadership style in an educational setting is one that is
collaborative and participatory.
Responsibilities
The work of an early childhood administrator includes a very
diverse mix of responsibilities. Challenges vary from day to day
and from season to season. Most of an administrator's tasks can
be categorized into three groups: responsibilities related to
people, responsibilities related to resources, and responsibilities
related to information.
People
The broad purpose of any early childhood program is to serve
children and families, which means that working with people is
at the heart of the administrator's job. The three primary groups
of people administrators work with are families, staff, and
community members.
Administrators respond to parent inquiries, lead parent tours,
enroll children, and welcome families. They hire, train, and
supervise staff. Early childhood administrators also work with
community members such as neighbors, donors, business
leaders, public school principals, or park district board
members. Responsibilities related to this group might include
attending neighborhood meetings or writing thank you letters to
donors. Among these three groups—families, staff, and
community members—administrative responsibilities are quite
varied, yet all involve communication and building
relationships.
Resources
Managing, which means directing or overseeing, resources is
another important category of administrative tasks. Resources
include physical things, such as the facility, the materials and
equipment, and supplies, including food. Administrators carry

47. out a broad range of duties related to managing these resources,
such as supervising the janitorial staff, making safety
inspections, and ordering snacks or meals. In addition to these
tangible, concrete things, another important resource is the
staff, the human resources. Responsibilities related to managing
human resources include creating and managing staff schedules
and documenting payroll.
Information
Any administrative role in an early childhood program requires
a great deal of documentation or paperwork. In the 21st century,
the term paperwork now also includes managing a wide range of
digital information as well as hard files. Responsibilities related
to information management may include updating the program's
website, reviewing online child assessment portfolios, and
completing the forms required for the annual renewal of the
program's liability insurance policy.
Setting Administrative Priorities
Tackling the broad range of administrative tasks necessary to
run an early childhood program can be overwhelming, and the
ability to set priorities is key. Each day administrators must
make wise choices about which tasks are most important to
accomplish right away, such as responding to a parent concern,
while still budgeting time for long-term projects, such as
revising a staff handbook. Often the key to managing priorities
is finding a balance between different kinds of tasks.
For example, administrators who spend most of their time and
energy in classrooms, observing teachers and talking with staff
members, may neglect some of the important organizational
tasks, like overseeing tuition payments. At the same time,
administrators who spend most of their time and energy at their
desks, managing finances and paperwork, may risk losing touch
with what is happening inside the classrooms. All these tasks
are important and require regular, balanced attention for a

48. program to be successful.
A Day in the Life
What is it like to balance so many different roles and
responsibilities? Let's look at an example of a typical day in the
life of an early childhood administrator.
Suppose you are the director of a large child care center. Your
work day may begin before you even leave home, with a call
from a teacher who is ill and won't be able to come to work.
You quickly place a call to a retired teacher who has offered to
be on call as a substitute and arrange for her to cover the shift.
Once you arrive at the center, you unlock the door and welcome
the first shift of teachers and caregivers as they arrive to set up
their classrooms. As you turn on your computer, one of the
morning teachers informs you that the sink in the toddler
bathroom is not working. You briefly meet with the toddler
teachers and create a plan for the toddlers to share one of the
preschool bathrooms until you can get the sink fixed. You make
a quick call to the local plumber and arrange for a service call
later that morning. Meanwhile, families are starting to arrive
and drop off their children for the day. You greet the families
and answer a few questions about tuition balances and an
upcoming parent meeting.
The remainder of the morning is spent in an orientation session
with a new preschool teacher. You review the employee
handbook with the teacher and help her complete the necessary
paperwork for the employee files. You introduce the teacher to
the rest of the staff and spend some time with her in the
classroom, demonstrating important health and safety practices.
While you were working with the new teacher, the plumber
arrived and fixed the toddler sink.
After returning a few phone calls and email messages, you take
a few minutes to complete a grant proposal to a local

49. community foundation. As the teachers eat lunch with the
children in the classrooms, you eat a sandwich at your desk and
type up an agenda for the weekly preschool team meeting. Once
the preschoolers are settled for their afternoon nap, you meet
with the preschool teachers and address a variety of issues, from
a discussion of concerns about a very quiet child who is
reluctant to speak to adults, to a debate about what should be
the curriculum focus for the next planning period.
Following the preschool team meeting, you complete attendance
reports, observe the new teacher in the preschool class, and
greet families as they arrive to pick up their children. As you
put on your coat at the end of the day, you see the child who has
been having trouble speaking to adults. She is leaving the center
with her mom and waving to the new preschool teacher. The
child calls out, "Bye! Bye, Teacher!" You smile to yourself as
you turn out the lights and lock the front door.
1.4 Philosophy, Vision, and Mission
Suppose, similar to Lindsay in our opening scenario, you've just
been hired to develop and administer an early childhood
program in your community. Or suppose you've been hired to
build a new program from scratch. How would you begin?
Before you start making changes in an existing program, or
before you start ordering furniture and hiring teachers for a new
program, it will be helpful to take a step back and ask yourself
some important questions. What are your hopes for this
program? How will this program help children learn and grow?
How will it contribute to the community? These questions are
related to how you will understand and follow or develop and
define the program's philosophy, vision, and mission.
Program Philosophy
The vision and mission statements of an early childhood
program often reflect the organization's philosophy, that is, its
beliefs about how children best learn and develop. A program's
philosophy represents the core values and culture of an
organization and determines the roles staff members and parents

50. will play in the care and education of the children enrolled
there. The philosophy is used to guide classroom practices,
curriculum development, the hiring of teachers, and the
recruitment of families.
For example, a program that follows the Montessori philosophy
might emphasize the presentation and organization of classroom
materials, while a program based on the Waldorf philosophy
might emphasize children's participation in creative activities
such as music and dance. When parents read about the
program's philosophy in a brochure or on a website, they can
get a sense of whether or not that program will be a good fit for
their family.
The same is true when seeking a good fit in the hiring of
teachers: Potential candidates for teaching positions can read
about the program's philosophy and decide whether their
individual beliefs about teaching will match the program's.
Questions about philosophy during the interview process also
reveal whether a candidate's ideas about teaching and learning
are aligned with the program's philosophy.
Here is an example of how an early childhood program that's
based on the techniques of the Montessori method might
describe its philosophy:
Montessori Garden Preschool, White Plains, New York
At the Montessori Garden our goal is to nurture and expand the
minds of young children by providing a safe and peaceful
environment. We believe in the Montessori philosophy, which
supports the child's cognitive, social emotional and physical
development. We value cultural diversity and our teachers are
dedicated to supporting and encouraging the growth of each
individual child.

51. A basic idea of the Montessori philosophy is that carried unseen
within each child is the person that child can become. To
develop his or her physical, intellectual and spiritual powers to
the fullest, the child must have freedom achieved through order
and self-discipline.
Dr. Montessori developed what she called "the prepared
environment." Among its features is an ordered arrangement of
learning materials in a non-competitive atmosphere, which helps
each child develop at his/her own rate. Dr. Montessori also
recognized that self-motivation is the only valid impulse to
learning.
Used by permission of The Compass School.
Early Childhood Theory
The philosophy of an early childhood program is usually
aligned with a specific school of thought about how children
learn and grow, ideas based on research and child development
theory. Current information about what is considered "best
practice" in the field of early childhood education can be found
in the position statements and publications of professional
organizations, such as the National Association for the
Education of Young Children.
Generally, high-quality early childhood programs today take a
philosophical position that embraces constructivism. The main
idea behind a constructivist approach is that children build their
own knowledge through hands-on experiences. The
constructivist philosophy was developed and endorsed by
theorists such as Jean Piaget, who believed that young children
develop their own intellect through exploring their physical
environment (Piaget & Inhelder, 1969), and Lev Vygotsky, who
believed that children develop intellect through their social
interactions with other children and adults (Vygotsky, 1978).

52. Creating a Vision
While the program philosophy informs practice on a daily basis,
a vision is an image or idea of the best possible outcome for an
organization and the people it serves. The vision is what you
want your students and school to become. A vision can be
inspirational, a dream or hope for the future. An early childhood
administrator must have an understanding of where the
organization wants to go in order to move the organization
forward.
An organization's vision may be represented by a vision
statement, which is a sentence or paragraph that describes what
the organization hopes to accomplish. One leader, such as the
program director, may write the statement, or a team of
individuals involved in the organization may create it
collaboratively to increase support for the idea.
A vision statement should be written in a way that can be easily
understood by staff, families, and community members; and its
meaning should be broad enough to include all the functions of
the organization. An example of a very brief vision statement
might be "Early education for all." Or "A community of lifelong
learners." A longer example is, "The vision of Oak Street Child
Development Center is to create a diverse community of young
learners where every family feels welcome and valued."
A vision statement may include additional details or bullet
points that describe more specific components of the program
such as, "Staff will serve as role models for the children by
demonstrating a lifelong love of learning." The vision statement
can then be used internally to help direct and motivate the staff.
The vision statement can also be used to support the
administrator's work externally by helping the administrator
present the essential qualities of the program to the public,
including potential funding sources.
Defining a Mission

53. In addition to a vision, an organization also needs a clearly
articulated mission statement, which describes why the
organization exists, what it does, and who it serves. While a
vision statement inspires dreams, a mission statement inspires
action. A good mission statement is functional and concrete and
helps staff members prioritize and focus their efforts. It should
be concise, it should focus on the important outcomes the
organization works to achieve, and it should be broad enough to
include all the main goals of the organization.
A mission statement is an essential tool for an administrator
leading and supervising the work of an early childhood
program. It can be used to drive hiring practices, create or
revise policies, guide budget planning, and make decisions
about program growth and expansion. In a successful and
efficient organization, every activity is aligned with and reflects
the mission statement.
Here are three examples of strong mission statements from early
childhood programs:
Flagstaff Cooperative Preschools, Flagstaff, Arizona
Our mission is to develop the intellect, personality, body and
heart of each child by creating an environment and experiences
in tune with individual characteristics and family backgrounds.
We promote interactive experiences while at play, and support
the development of every child's self-esteem, self-reliance and
positive view of life through family and community
involvement.
Used by permission of Flagstaff Cooperative Preschools.
This mission statement explicitly names family and community
involvement as an important characteristic of its program, and
the use of phrases like "body and heart" of each child

54. emphasizes the program's holistic, developmental approach to
early childhood education.
The mention of "play" here suggests that learning through play
is a significant part of the program's philosophy.
The Compass School, Cincinnati, Ohio
The mission of The Compass School is to provide a safe and
nurturing environment that promotes your child's depth of
knowledge while inspiring a life-long love of learning.
Used by permission of The Compass School.
This mission statement is brief and direct. Unlike the previous
example, this statement does not use the word "family."
However, the phrase "your child" implies that the statement has
been written specifically for families. The phrase, "depth of
knowledge" emphasizes academic learning, while adjectives like
"safe and nurturing" soften the statement.
Rockford Public Schools Early Childhood Program, Rockford,
Illinois
The mission of the Rockford Public Schools Early Childhood
Program is to empower all young children to become effective,
enthusiastic, and socially competent learners by creating a bond
among children, their families, the school and the community.
Used by permission of Rockford Public Schools.
This mission statement is also brief and direct. The words
"empower" and "competent" emphasize the child's active role
and responsibility in learning. The final phrase in the statement
("among children, their families, the school and the
community") explicitly names all the important stakeholders in

55. the school's mission.
Table 1.1: Philosophy, Vision, and Mission as Administrative T
ools
Tool
What is it?
How do administrators use this tool?
Philosophy
Beliefs about how children best learn and
develop that represent the core values and
culture of an organization.
Administrators describe the program
philosophy during the enrollment
processto let families know what to expect; in the
hiring process to determine a good fit
between teachers and program; and to
shape curriculum development.
Vision statement
A sentence or paragraph that describes
what the organization hopes to accomplish.
An administrator uses the vision statement
to inspire staff members and volunteers to
strive for the best possible outcomes for
their organization and to build consensus
,collaboration, and commitment for the
work of the organization.
Mission statement
An organization's statement of purpose.
Administrators use the program mission
statement to determine program goals and
to assess how well the program's
outcomes match the purpose of the organization.
Writing the Mission Statement
Program administrators usually do not create mission statements

56. by themselves. A mission statement is often developed or
revised by a team of people, such as a board of directors, as part
of a strategic planning process. The process usually begins with
an information-gathering stage in which leaders conduct
discussions or focus groups with key stakeholders, such as staff
members, parents of enrolled children, and community
members, such as neighborhood associations, park district
boards, and local business owners. Participants may be asked
questions such as, "What do you see as the major purpose of our
organization?" "What do you think are the major strengths of
our organization?" or "In what ways do you think our
organization could improve?"
The team of leaders uses this information to discuss and draft a
mission statement. All parties involved then consider the draft
of the mission statement and make comments or suggestions for
the final version. This type of process, in which many opinions
and perspectives are considered, is called a consensus-building
process. Though time consuming, consensus building often
results in a stronger and more lasting outcome than a decision
that is made quickly by just one or two people.
Reference
Gadikowski (2013). Supporting Children's Socialization: A
Developmental Approach . Retrieved November 15, 2017, from
ashford.edu