Two Boston public elementary schools earn national accreditation for early childhood programs

BOSTON – The Warren/Prescott K-8 School in Charlestown and the F. Lyman Winship Elementary School in Brighton recently earned accreditation for their early childhood programming from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC accreditation, widely seen as the mark of quality in early childhood education, provides a powerful tool through which early childhood educators improve the quality of their programs by comparing their practices with national and professional standards.

“Investing in early childhood education is a key strategy in closing achievement gaps and moving all students to proficiency,” said Superintendent Carol R. Johnson. “NAEYC is the gold standard by which all early childhood education programs are judged, and we are pleased to see so many BPS schools undertaking this rigorous process to strengthen and improve teaching and learning for our youngest students.”

The Warren/Prescott and the Winship bring to six the total number of BPS schools to receive NAEYC accreditation. Other accredited schools are the Baldwin Early Learning Center (Brighton), West Zone Early Learning Center (Jamaica Plain), East Boston Early Education Center, and Haynes Early Education Center (Roxbury). Nine additional BPS schools are currently pursuing NAEYC accreditation.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino has made the expansion of early childhood education one of his top priorities, including full-day kindergarten for all five-year-olds and the expansion of “K1” sets for four-year-olds.  NAEYC accreditation of all early childhood settings is a key strategy in Mayor Menino’s Thrive in Five initiative, which seeks to ensure that all Boston’s children have a strong foundation for educational success.  The City has set the goal of 100% of all early childhood education settings, including public school classrooms, earning accreditation by 2023.  

“All children are born with a natural curiosity about the world and the potential to be successful learners, but we know that when students enter school, sometimes there are gaps in their levels of preparedness,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “Providing high-quality early education experiences is part of our City’s larger strategy to eliminate these gaps so that every single Boston child starts school prepared for academic success.”

NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous process that begins with a self-study, during which classrooms and schools develop goals by comparing their programs to national standards and identifying the criteria the school currently meets and the criteria they want to work towards meeting. After ensuring that their practices are aligned with the national standards, schools submit their candidacy materials to NAEYC for review. NAEYC then sends representatives to observe the program in action and review evidence collected during the school’s self-assessment process before a final determination is made.   

Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 90,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations. For more information, visit www.naeyc.org.