Hastings Ranch Nursery School Achieves Exacting NAEYC Accreditation

The Board and staff of Hastings Ranch Nursery School (HRNS) are proud to announce that the school has gained the accreditation of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The NAEYC is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8. Comprising nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and more than 300 regional Affiliate chapters, they support all professionals who educate and care for young children, and strive to ensure that all children achieve their potential.

Parents choosing an early childhood education program can be overwhelmed by trying to find the highest-quality program for their child. NAEYC accreditation is the gold standard for early childhood programs. As some of our member families may be aware, the process to get the certification is long and challenging. Candidate schools must perform a thorough self-study to align their programs with best practices, and complete an extended site visit by an NAEYC Assessor. Our teachers have prepared portfolios for each class and program, compiled photos documenting our compliance with standards, and gone over our facilities to verify dozens of criteria. They have worked to develop or extend our assessment system, both to inform parents about their children’s development and to guide improvements to our programs.

While more than 7,000 early-childhood programs currently hold NAEYC accreditation, this represents less than 10% of the total. Achieving this milestone reflects the leadership and perseverance of our director, Jennifer Neumayer, as well as the collaborative work of the entire staff. In the end HRNS received commendations in seven evaluated categories, including teaching, health and safety, and the positive relationships between children, staff, and families.

Please take a moment to thank the teachers for their hard work.