HENRY COUNTY, VA – The Early Childhood Education program at Patrick & Henry Community College has earned the highest level of accreditation possible.
The program is one of over 200 to earn the National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation this year.
Program director Dr. Jan Harrison said, “NAEYC accreditation identifies P&HCC’s Early Childhood Development program as meeting national standards for providing care and education to children, birth to age eight (or third grade). Our graduating students will bring the highest quality of standards into both private and public childcare workforce community, as well as public classrooms as licensed teachers in the state of Virginia. We are excited to provide this level of quality education for our graduating students as they transition to the childcare workforce and provide improved practices for local community programs.”
To earn accreditation, programs must meet all 10 NAEYC standards: Relationships; Curriculum; Teaching; Assessment of Child Progress; Health; Staff Competencies, Preparation & Support; Families; Community Relationships; Physical Environment; and Leadership & Management.
“While many community colleges offer early childhood education credentials, only a few of these programs are NAEYC accredited. Moreover, in order for local childcare centers to seek NAEYC accreditation, they must employ graduates from NAEYC accredited programs. This has the potential to positively impact local economic development efforts as high quality childcare for workers is always part of the recruiting equation,” said P&HCC President Dr. Greg Hodges.
P&HCC say its accreditation efforts were launched thanks to a generous $100,000 donation from the Davenport Foundation.
“My wife and I are pleased to support this important program at Patrick & Henry Community College. Quality early childhood education is being offered at P&HCC and will make a profound difference in the future of those enrolled,” said Ben Davenport.
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