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Accreditation and citification are two big questions you should ask any child care you are thinking of placing your child with. Although to some degree they are the same there is a big difference between the two.
Certification
When speaking of certification you are asking about state and local rules requiring some child care providers to be certified by a licensing authority, often the state’s office of child services. In most states, not all child care providers are required to be certified.
The rules vary from state to state and can be found by calling the state office or searching online for your state’s licensing requirements. The certification rules will normally set the maximum child teacher ratio, education of the teachers, and other basic facility rules. Certified child cares are also required to pass inspections by state officials.
Because there is not minimum number of children to be certified most child care and daycares should be if only to show they are meeting minimum standards of care.
Accreditation
Accreditation in a different story. There are several large nationwide organizations and many small regions ones who have set different standards for care and education by participation child care providers.
The rules vary, but generally cover things such as child teacher ratios, teacher education, safety measures, and education curriculum. These organizations may also offer different levels of membership depending on what level of care the school provides.
Generally only child care centers seek accreditation from national organization because of the cost and complexity of the process, however sometime you will find high quality home daycare accredited.
Because the rules of accreditation vary widely between different organization if is best to spend a couple of minutes and research the organization your possible school is accredited by. A quick online search or call to the local child services offices should give you great insight into the quality of the program.
The leading national organization is the National Association for the Education of Young Children; they have high standards so you will often find the better providers in an area accredited by them.
When looking for a child care or daycare for your child it is important to ask about both certification and accreditation. Only by asking, will you know what you need to make the best possible choice for you and your child.