Program recognized among the top in the nation by earning accreditation
New York, NY – La Escuelita located on 302 West 91st Street and moving to 225 West 99th Street in September, has 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 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments.: “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 Kelley Grant, Executive Director. “La Escuelita was founded in 2003 on the values of early acquired bilingualism, the importance of both play and teacher-directed activity in the early childhood and the necessity of diversity, both racial and socioeconomic, in the classroom.”
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, La Escuelita went through an extensive self-study and qualityimprovement 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 qualityassurance 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 high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition. “
NAEYC-Accredited programs bring our definitions of excellence for early childhood education to life each day,” said Kristen Johnson, senior director of Early Learning Program Accreditation at NAEYC. “Earning NAEYC Accreditation makes La Escuelita an exemplar of good practice for families and the entire community.”
In addition to accreditation, La Escuelita was specifically commended for the quality of the school’s relationships with both children and families, the teaching of young children, their health and safety practices, their community relationships and the administration of their program.
For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit the NAEYC website.
La Escuelita was founded in 2003 by two parents, both professional educators, who wanted bilingual
play and preschool experience for their children. La Escuelita’s home is the vibrant and diverse Upper
West Side of New York City. The school’s mission is to support bilingualism in children from birth
through 3rd grade. La Escuelita is committed to socio-economic diversity and sets aside 20% of its
operating budget annually for tuition reduction to ensure socio-economic diversity within its community
and equal access to an excellent preschool education. La Escuelita is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
organization. For more information, please visit www.laescuelitanyc.org