What does it mean to be “accredited”?
National accreditation is a voluntary process where a childcare provider can choose to have an outside entity come in and evaluate their program. This evaluation uses a standard set of criteria that exceeds Minimum Standards (required by Child Care Regulation). The criteria typically require providers to have smaller class sizes, higher levels of education and training for teachers, and high-quality teacher interaction with children.
There are several nationally recognized accreditations for childcare providers. Each organization has developed their own criteria that providers must meet before they receive accreditation. Information on each national accrediting organization is listed below.
NATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
National Association for the Education of Young Children: NAEYC’s national, voluntary accreditation system has set professional standards for early childhood education programs, and helped families identify high-quality programs for their young children. www.naeyc.org
National Early Childhood Program Accreditation: The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation was created to encourage the availability of high quality early education programs for America’s families. www.necpa.net
National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Program: NAC Accreditation offers early care and education programs the opportunity to demonstrate and document quality performance using research-based criteria. NAC accreditation values the rich and diverse tapestry of early care and education programs and the uniqueness of each. www.naccp.org
National Association of Family Child Care: NAFCC sponsors the only nationally recognized accreditation system designed specifically for family child care providers. It was designed to create a quality indicator for family child care programs across the country. www.nafcc.org
The Council on Accreditation: is an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization founded in 1977 whose mission is to partner with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes by developing, applying, and promoting accreditation standards. www.coanet.org
Cognia: is a global network of enthusiastic educators that are here to help strengthen schools, so all students have the opportunities that knowledge brings. https://www.cognia.org/
Association of Christian Schools International:
ACSI is becoming a leading international organization that promotes Christian education and provides training and resources to Christian schools and Christian educators. www.acsi.org
NATIONALLY CERTIFIED FACILITIES in the TEXOMA AREA
| Facility | National Certification | City |
| Montessori Academy of North Texas | Cognia | Sherman |
| Texoma Christian School | Association of Christian Schools International and Cognia | Sherman |
| Morning Star Academy | Association of Christian Schools International, and Cognia | Bonham |