Day-Care Standards: Need and Impact

Abstract

Any discussion of standards, no matter how brief, must first acknowledge that there are different types of standards established for different purposes. As the director of the national voluntary accreditation system for child care centers and schools established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), I am most familiar with the need and impact of accreditation standards, which are, by definition, standards for distinguishing high-quality programs established by a professional organization. In any case the implementation of a national accreditation system is heavily influenced by local and state licensing standards, which are mandatory government regulations that establish a baseline of protection. Accreditation and licensing standards are both influenced by model standards such as the health and safety standards of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association.1 These standards establish a model, based on the best professional evidence, that serves as a reference for the other two systems but does not carry an enforcement system of its own. This paper will discuss the need for and impact of all three types of standards from the point of view of my experience in operating NAEYC's accreditation system.2 Because our accreditation process is nationally administered, we have the opportunity to observe the impact of diverse licensing standards on quality. In order to maintain accessibility we have relatively few eligibility requirements, and because we do not require 100% compliance with our criteria, we also have the opportunity to observe the interrelationships among standards and other effects. One caveat must be offered at the outset.