Swampscott school seeking early childhood accreditation

SWAMPSCOTT – One town elementary school is trying to obtain accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).Clarke Elementary School Principal Lois Longin explained the school is required to pursue NAEYC accreditation because it received grants for full-day kindergarten.?The NAEYC process has been a very personal one,” she said. “Three years ago we received an all day kindergarten grant. We’re seeing improvement in student achievement.”Superintendent Lynne Celli explained the NAEYC has different standards for different age levels and Clarke Elementary School is only seeking accreditation at the kindergarten level.Longin explained there are four steps the school must complete to be eligible for accreditation. The first is enrollment and what Rivers described as “self study.”The second is the application process, which requires submitting information on how the program would meet NAEYC standards.Longin explained the third step is candidacy, which requires all staff members to meet educational requirements and requires the school to meet at least 80 percent of the kindergarten performance criteria.Longin said the fourth step in the process is meeting and maintaining standards set forth by NAEYC. She said that is done through site visits, family surveys, staff surveys and classroom portfolios.