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Success by 6 Partners Provide Impressive Quality Care
Child care centers throughout the county continue to meet the “gold standard” of care and curriculum; accreditation is the key
March 27, 2008

United Way of Morris County congratulates Mount Olive Child Care & Learning Center for their recent success in achieving five-year reaccreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) under its revised, rigorous standards. Accredited since 1993, Mount Olive Child Care & Learning Center is United Way of Morris County’s first member child care center to undergo this new process and is one of only a handful of child care centers in New Jersey to achieve this national honor.

With more than half of all children under the age of three in the United States in out-of-home child care, quality care is critical to future academic success. NAEYC Accreditation assures that accredited child care centers provide high-quality care in an environment that promotes growth and development. NAEYC Accreditation is not easy to obtain. Child care centers must complete a four-step process, including a comprehensive self-study that examines the center’s current early childhood education programs. In fact, only 10,000 child care centers across the country have met the rigorous standards for accreditation.

United Way of Morris County is dedicated to helping its partner child care centers work toward maintaining their NAEYC Accreditation under these new standards. Currently, 60 percent of United Way of Morris County’s member child care centers have achieved this prestigious certification under the NAEYC’s previous standards, versus a county average of only 16 percent. United Way of Morris County’s Success By 6 program - comprised of dedicated volunteers, early childhood educators and United Way staff – are working to help Morris County child care centers achieve and maintain their Accreditation under the new NAEYC requirements. This work is done to ensure that all local children are prepared to succeed in a school setting. To date, their work has resulted in five member child care centers achieving NAEYC Accreditation, and two more on their way to attaining this prestigious honor in 2008.

Why is early child care so important?
Recent nationally conducted studies estimate that more than 40 percent of kindergarten students are not fully prepared for school. However, 97 percent of children who attend United Way of Morris County’s member child care centers have demonstrated readiness to attend and succeed in kindergarten. 

Congratulations to Mount Olive Child Care & Learning Center and all of our member child care centers for their commitment to quality child care and early childhood education!