The Ottumwa Community School District says Pickwick Early Childhood Center earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)—the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.
NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of ten research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality improvement in high-quality early learning environments.
“We are proud to have earned the mark of quality from NAEYC, and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards as we prepare children for kindergarten. Our facility is truly innovative in that we are breaking down barriers and blending our classrooms in a manner that allows all students to learn together regardless of race, ethnicity, income, culture, disability, and gender.” Pickwick Early Childhood Center Principal Kim Ledger
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, Pickwick went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years.
In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of the highest quality early childhood education. Fewer than 6,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than ten percent of all childcare centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this prestigious recognition.
Ottumwa Schools offers full-time preschool at Pickwick for three and four-year-olds, at no cost. The district says its high-quality early childhood program offers you and your child a safe, nurturing, and caring classroom environment.
