Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/where-are-we-headed-with-center-accreditation/5018614/
With a new administration in Washington, DC poised to expand federal support for early childhood services, it is important that our profession take a close look at how we can assure parents that we are providing the high quality early childhood services they need and deserve. In this Exchange Trend Report, we will examine the role of center accreditation in providing this assurance. We will take a brief look back at historical developments, review where we now stand, and look ahead at what the future holds.A brief history of quality assurance in the United States
Over the past five decades, there have been a variety of efforts to provide markers of quality . . .
• In the 1950s and ‘60s, the only measure of quality was licensing standards for child care programs. Not only was the bar for quality set very low by most of the state and local standards, but there were also many gaps �" family child care, after school programs, part day programs, and church operated programs were either exempt or ignored in many licensing standards.
• In the 1970s, two new attempts at measuring quality were explored. The new Head Start program requir-ed local programs it funded ...