Adventure Center Earns Accreditation

Over 60 balloons filled the sky in celebration at the Children’s Adventure Center in Sandy Hook for its honor of receiving national accreditation. The students and teachers at the school launched the balloons with tags on them so if anyone finds one they can mail the card back to the center.

The center was granted accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This recognition has gone to only seven percent of early childhood programs nationwide.

“We’re excited and elated,” Florence Rubinstein, head teacher at the center, said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The center has been working for accreditation for two years. It had to look at the physical environment. The center changed from having one large classroom to having two specific classrooms, Mrs Rubinstein said. The center also had to look at the materials being used and the student/teacher interaction that was occurring.

“It’s an in-depth study of ourselves,” Mrs Rubinstein said.

The Board of Directors noted that NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous voluntary process that early childhood programs use to demonstrate they meet the standards. Child care centers, preschools, kindergartens, and before and after school programs are eligible to seek NAEYC accreditation.

“The heart of the NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child’s experience,” Mae Schmidle, chairman of the board of directors, said. “The process carefully considers all aspects of a program including health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications, and physical environment. The greatest emphasis is on the children’s relationship with the staff and how the program helps each child grow and learn intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally.”

Teacher Anne McCutchan is glad the center achieved accreditation.

“I love it. It’s a way for people to understand how important education is at this age,” she said. “These children are the future.”

Although the process is rigorous, the center is please to be able to provide such a facility for the community.

“It’s very, very exciting,” Mrs Schmidle said. “It’s just wonderful us that we have qualified for this exceptional accreditation. Parents can be assured their children are going to have the best of the best.”

The accreditation is valid for three years. The Children’s Adventure Center has been in Newtown since 1969 and has been at its present location in Sandy Hook for 25 years.