These Standards are to be used as orientation to the Accreditation Process. All Standards are in the Accreditation Manual with Indicators that serve as evidence the Standard is met. Programs considering pursuing accreditation through the National Accreditation Commission should enroll in Self-Study.
E1. Written lesson plans reflect planning that promotes children’s overall development.
E2. Written observations are made on each child’s actions, abilities, and knowledge as the child engages in the classroom and in routine outdoor settings.
E3. Written assessment is made of each child’s learning and development.
E4. Accommodations to address the needs of individual children are made in collaboration with families, administrators, and outside specialists.
E5. Teachable moments are recognized and used by teachers to extend children’s learning.
E6. The daily schedule provides a predictable routine that is responsive to the children.
E7. Transitions throughout the day are planned and smoothly implemented.
E8. The arrangement of the classroom encourages children to become engaged and promotes child-centered learning experiences.
E9. Materials are selected to advance the goals of the lesson plan and build on children’s current knowledge and skills.
E10. Play is promoted through daily opportunities for curiosity, imagination, inventiveness, risk-taking, and flexibility.
E11. Language is promoted through daily opportunities for communicating, listening, and understanding.
E12. Reading is promoted through daily experiences with books, print, and phonological awareness.
E13. Handwriting is promoted through daily opportunities to use writing tools in a print-rich environment.
E14. Math concepts are promoted through daily hands-on experiences with number, pattern, shape, spatial relationships, measurement, classification, and comparison.
E15. Science is promoted through daily opportunities for prediction, reasoning, and experimentation.
E16. Social studies is promoted through a shared sense of community and an appreciation for diversity.
E17. Creativity is promoted through daily opportunities for self-expression, symbolic representation, and development of aesthetic sensibility.
E18. Cognitive skills are promoted through daily opportunities for concept development, information-seeking, persistence, memory, and problem solving.
E19. Gross motor skills are promoted through daily opportunities for physical activity to develop large muscle groups and coordination.
E20. Fine motor skills are promoted through daily opportunities to use small muscles to manipulate objects and practice hand-eye coordination.
E21. Healthy habits are encouraged to promote wellness and development.
E22. Technology use supports learning.
E23. The outdoor learning environment space is designed to accommodate the developmental needs of the children using it.
