Getting to Know my International Contact-Part 2

Issues related to excellence and equity in the early childhood field make for a rich pool of conversation topics.

Excellence was the topic of conversation this week for myself and Bonnie Phelps, in contact in Germany running a CDC (Child Development Center) on a military base.  The professional requirements and expectations with ECE professionals is continuing to grow.  National Accreditation "star of approval" is beginning to carry a lot more weight with parents looking for childcare for their young children.  Accreditation gives programs a sense of excellence and the expectations are not easy to achieve.  I was referred to an article that Bonnie Phelps was featured in by being interviewed and I would like to share the article with all of you!  You can see the full article at:

http://www.army.mil/article/31151/Baumholder_Child_Care_Centers_get_accreditation_seal_of_approval/

Below I would like to highlight a portion of the article that I found extremely helpful in answering my questions from this week's conversation assignment regarding excellence and equity in the early childhood field:


Accreditation is almost like earning a Good Housekeeping seal of approval, she said.

"Employees of Smith and Wetzel CDCs can proudly state that work in an accredited center that offers quality care. It's a bit like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval for child care professionals. This can be placed on their resumes in the future and is a well accepted factor in hiring a new employee as it means they understand and have 'lived' the standards of the industry established by the national association," said Phelps.

Accreditation also says something about the employees who work at the centers and their dedication to the trade.

"Because it is so hard to accomplish, it means that this is a team effort by all employees in CYSS. Others have gone into the classrooms so that the teachers can come out and work on portfolios (there is one for each room and one for each child). In addition, management teams had to pull together to produce 10 more volumes of information. Everyone worked together on Smith's and then Wetzel's to accomplish this.

"It has meant weekends, evenings, working at home for many and it has meant a full team effort. Working as a team strengthens the entire team which in turn allows us to provide quality care here at Baumholder CYSS. Without the original teams building on each other's strengths and working between all programs, this could not be accomplished. We have a wonderful and very dedicated team at CYSS, and it all begins with the caregivers who provide the direct care. Without their dedication, there would be no child development center. They are the core of our care," said Phelps.

Earning accreditation does not mean that employees can sit back and relax once it's over. In fact, it is only the beginning. For the next five years they must produce annual reports and are subject to surprise inspections by the NAEYC.