Accreditation & Commitment to Quality
Among the Nation's First
Shady Lane is proud to have been one of the nation's first (1987) early childhood programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
In November 2007, Shady Lane was again in the forefront, being among the first programs to satisfy NAEYC's new, more demanding accreditation process. When our re-accredited status comes up for review next in 2012, Shady Lane will have been continuously accredited for 25 years.
Exceptional Marks from NAEYC
NAEYC has established a stringent set of over 600 criteria covering 10 program standards critical to quality early childhood programs. These early childhood program standards are:
- Relationships
- Curriculum
- Teaching
- Assessment of Child Progress
- Health
- Teachers
- Families
- Community Relationships
- Physical Environment
- Leadership and Management
To achieve NAEYC Accreditation, a program must meet at least 80% of the assessed criteria for each program standard. Each observed classroom must meet at least 70% of the assessed criteria. In addition, NAEYC measures seven Required Criteria.
At its last accreditation site visit, Shady Lane met over 90% of the criteria in the majority of program standards, and the four classrooms visited by NAEYC assessors met 93%, 95%, 96% and 96% of criteria observed, respectively. We are exceedingly proud of this objective measure of the quality of Shady Lane's programs, administration and community involvement.
For more information, visit NAEYC.
Keystone STARS
Keystone STARS is a quality rating system devised and administered through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning. It has four STAR levels. Each STAR designation has its own research-based performance standards. These standards measure three areas that make a difference in the quality of care and education that your child receives: the staff employed; the environment your child is in every day; and the way a facility runs their business. At a Keystone STARS Facility you can count on:
- A Department of Public Welfare Certificate of Compliance
- A comfortable place where your child can explore and learn
- Laughing, reading, and talking to build good language skills
- Teachers learning new ways to help your child succeed
- A safe, healthy and exciting place
- Music, art, science, and play activities that increase school readiness
- Your child feeling good about his/her self
- Family involvement
- Teachers that listen to children and parents
- Children having fun together and being respectful of each other
Shady Lane has been recognized as a STAR Level Four program since the inception of the Keystone STARS system. Requirements for STAR Level Four recognition include:
- Extensive (24 hours per year) professional development and training hours for every staff member
- Two thirds of the staff completed or are enrolled in credentials or degrees
- Activities designed to encourage communication, both written and verbal, occur naturally in the day
- Parental and community resources used effectively in the delivery of quality child care
- Business, organizational and staff compensation practices are maximized
- A review of the facility using a nationally recognized environmental rating scale that indicates a high quality score
For more information, visit Keystone STARS system.
