{"id":4775,"date":"2020-07-07T14:39:53","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T14:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childcareassociates.org\/?p=4775"},"modified":"2020-07-07T14:39:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T14:39:53","slug":"cca_accredit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childcareassociates.org\/es\/cca_accredit\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Release: CCA to Nationally Accredit Its 20 Early Education Campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 6, 2020<\/p>\n

For Immediate Release<\/p>\n

C<\/strong>hild Care Associates Aims to Nationally Accredit Its <\/strong>20 Early Education Campuses that Serve 2,000+ <\/strong>\u00a0Underprivileged <\/strong>Children in Tarrant County<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Agency is Leading Tarrant County Child Care Outreach Efforts During COVID-19 and <\/em><\/strong>is the largest provider of Head Start and Early Head Start Programming\u00a0in the County<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

FORT WORTH, TX \u2013 The lead agency advising Tarrant County officials on child care for essential workers and child care provider support during COVID-19, Child Care Associates (CCA), today announced its commitment to achieving national accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for its early education campuses within three years.\u00a0 In Texas, of the 14,796 licensed child care settings, only 317, or less than two percent, have achieved NAEYC national accreditation standards. NAEYC is the nation\u2019s largest and most-widely respected accreditation in early childhood quality practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cNAEYC Accreditation has been a benchmark of high-quality early childhood experiences for more than 30-years in Texas and we are so excited to have Child Care Associates commit to this level of quality. \u00a0Now more than ever, young children need to be not only in a safe and healthy environment, but surrounded by environments enriched with learning experiences that will help them grow and develop to their fullest potential with educated teachers leading the way,\u201d said Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TXAEYC) Executive\u00a0Director Kim Kofron, M.Ed. \u00a0\u201cWhen families have their children in a NAEYC accredited program they know they are getting the highest quality care for their children.\u00a0TXAEYC applauds CCA for this level of commitment to our youngest Texans.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to leaders in the child care industry, COVID-19 has raised the profile of need for ensuring early education settings are high-quality with appropriate square footage, highly qualified staff and health\/safety standards at the highest levels. While there are other organizations that offer accreditation for programs serving young children in the field of early childhood education, NAEYC remains the gold standard for programs serving children birth to 5-years of age.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt CCA, we put children first\u2026always. COVID-19 has helped us realize our need to be steadfast on our longstanding commitment to quality education for young children,\u201d said CCA CEO Kara Waddell. \u201cWhile we have always worked to attain standards higher than what child care licensing requires (including Head Start and Texas Rising Star standards), we are formalizing our commitment to the families we serve with this national accreditation.\u00a0 Families of all income levels value and expect more than ever before including a commitment to safety, health practices and the highest standards of child-centered learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

CCA\u2019s history of providing quality early childhood education has proven that the experiences of young children influence brain development and adult attachment, as well as prepare children for lifelong learning. \u00a0Areas of additional commitment from CCA include:<\/p>\n