InformHouston.com

Program among the top in the nation by earning accreditation

AVANCE-Houston, Inc. has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals.

AVANCE offers a variety of free parenting and early childhood education programs in the community. After a thorough review the agency’s Ketelsen and Jensen Drive Head Start centers earned the NAEYC Accreditation the beginning of January 2011, making this the third AVANCE center to earn this accreditation, as the Acres Homes location received it last November.

With three accredited centers now AVANCE, a United Way agency, is among the top agencies with the highest number of NAEYC Accredited centers in Harris County. “We’re proud to have earned the mark of quality from NAEYC, and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Jose Villarreal, AVANCE’s Executive Director. “NAEYC Accreditation reaffirms our families that children in our programs are getting the best care and early learning experiences possible.” He added.

Less than 10% preschool programs in the nation have earned NAEYC accreditation. To earn it, AVANCE went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the ten NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. The three centers received the accreditation after an on-site visit by NAEYC assessors to ensure that the program meets each of the ten program standards. NAEYC-accredited programs are also subject to unannounced visits during their accreditation, which lasts for five years.

“The NAEYC Accreditation system raises the bar for child care centers and other early childhood programs,” said Jerlean E. Daniel, Ph.D, executive director of NAEYC. “Having earned this accreditation is a sign that AVANCE is a leader in a national effort to invest in high-quality early childhood education.”

The system was created to set professional standards for early childhood education, and to help families identify high-quality preschools, child care centers and other early education programs.

AVANCE-Houston, a United Way agency offers Parenting, Head Start, Early Head Start, Adult Literacy programs which include, Healthy Marriages, Fatherhood, GED, ESL, and computer training.

AVANCE’s mission is to unlock America’s potential by strengthening families in at-risk communities through effective parenting education & support programs.