NAEYC Accreditation Project – TXAEYC
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NAEYC Accreditation Project

Project Overview

TXAEYC received a grant from the Powell Foundation to expand the supply of high-quality early learning programs in Harris, Walker, and Travis counties. This will be accomplished by holistically supporting 30 early learning programs through the NAEYC Early Learning Program Accreditation process. Each of the 30 early learning programs will receive the following supports:

  1. Training for their administrators and staff related to the NAEYC Accreditation Standards and process
  2. Eighteen (18) hours of individualized consulting to support the program administrator in completing their program self-study and establishing a quality improvement plan based on the results of the assessment
  3. Monthly cohort meetings for program administrators which guide them through each step of the process and provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning
  4. Fees for NAEYC Accreditation process and year 1 of accreditation status will be fully covered
  5. Connection to TXAEYC’s programs and services to support quality improvement

Eligibility

To participate in this program, early learning programs will have to meet the following criteria:

  • Located in Harris, Travis or Walker county
  • Twenty percent (20%) of children enrolled in their program must receive child care subsidies
  • Participate in the Texas Rising Star program and/or demonstrate the program’s quality level is above that required by HHSC’s Minimum Standards for Child Care Licensing
  • At least 50% of staff must be employed with the program at least one year

Preference will be given to programs operating in child care deserts, serving higher percentages of child on child care subsidies, located in communities of color, and/or serving multilingual children and/or children with differing abilities.

Project Timeline

Phase I: Outreach and Recruitment (June 2023 – August 2023)
TXAEYC will identify potential child care programs and invite them to apply to be part of the NAEYC Accreditation cohort. Potential participants will be made aware of the time commitment during the application process.

  • June 2023: Call for applications and targeted outreach
  • July 2023: Applicant review and interviews
  • August 2023: Final selection of programs

Phase II: Priming Programs for Accreditation Success (September-November 2023)
The cohort will kick-off with accreditation training specifically for administrators and educators. A two-day training will be held in Austin and in Houston for administrators. Administrators from Walker county will be able to choose in which city they prefer to attend this training. After the administrator trainings have been completed, a one-day training for educators will be completed at each program.

  • September 2023: 2-Day NAEYC Accreditation Bootcamp for all administrators
  • September – November 2023: 1-Day NAEYC Accreditation Bootcamp for the staff of each program (to be held at each program)

Phase III: Conducting Program Self-Study and Improving Quality (November 2023 – July 2024)
The first step of the NAEYC Accreditation Process is conducting the self-study. Administrators will be led through the self-study process through monthly cohort meetings and individualized consulting.

  • Monthly cohort meetings
  • 14 hours of consulting for each program

Phase IV: Development of Portfolios (August 2024 – March 2025)
After self-studies are completed and submitted to NAEYC, programs will be developing their program and classroom portfolios. Administrators will be led through this process during monthly cohort meetings which will focus on different components of the portfolio. Administrators will also have access to four hours in individualized consulting.

  • Monthly cohort meetings
  • 4 hours of consulting for each program

Phase V: Candidacy for Accreditation (April – May 2025)

Once portfolios are created, they are submitted to NAEYC and the program enters the candidacy stage of accreditation. During this stage, monthly cohort meetings will focus on last minute preparation for the accreditation site visit.

 

Interested in Partcipating?

Child care programs that meet the eligibility criteria listed above are invited to apply to participate in the project by submitting an interest form.

Apply Now!