SRU/SGA Preschool and Child Care Center earns national accreditation

Nov. 24, 2020

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University/Student Government Association Preschool and Child Care Center has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world's largest professional 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 are very proud of the commitment to quality that has been demonstrated by the staff throughout the accreditation process," said Lisa Ringer, who has served as the center's director for the last 30 years. "It is a real credit to their dedication and wanting to serve the children and families of our community."

Located in the McKay Education Building, the SRU/SGA Preschool and Child Care Center was established in 1978 and has evolved into a full-day, year-round preschool and child care for children ages 3-12. Today, the center serves more than 100 area children and is staffed by three full-time teachers who are assisted by SRU students.

To earn NAEYC accreditation, the center 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 10 program standards and also hundreds of corresponding individual criteria.

In the 30 years since NAEYC accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of quality early childhood education. Nationally, less than 10% of all child care center, preschools and kindergartens earn NAEYC accreditation. NAEYC accredited since 1991, the SRU/SGA Preschool and Child Care Center is one of only four programs in Butler County to have earned the distinction.

"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 signifies that the SRU/SGA Preschool and Child Care Center is a model of good practice for its families and community."

Visit the SRU/SGA Preschool and Child Care Center webpage to learn more about the center.

For more information about NAEYC accreditation, visit the NAEYC website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Robb King | 724.738.2199 | robb.king@sru.edu