KC Early Childhood Center meets all criteria for national re-accreditation

The Kilgore College Early Childhood Center found out this month that it has met all standards by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and will be reaccredited for the next five years.

"We were just thrilled," said Lara Pauley, the center's director. "Our staff has worked so hard for this. We can proudly say that we are the only accredited early childhood center in the area."

To be accredited, the center had to meet 80 percent of each of 10 standards- involving more than 400 criteria. The KCECC scored in the upper 90s on almost all standards. Pauley found out about the accreditation through an e-mail she received from the organization's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"I felt like a college student waiting for my acceptance letter in the mail," Pauley said. "I think I had my eyes glued shut when I opened it because I was so anxious to see what their findings were."

The center enrolls 35 children each year during the ninemonth school year, and serves as a training laboratory for students preparing for careers in the early childhood professions while providing services to young children and their families.

"Most families who enroll their children stay with us for the entire nine months and then re-enroll for the following year," Pauley said. "The kids range in age from 18 months to four years old.

Pauley, who works closely with Program Coordinator Virginia Booker, said that she couldn't have done it without the staff and families of the center. She said the staff put in long and intensive hours of labor to compile portfolios that documented how the center met the accreditation criteria.

Graduates of the KC early childhood professions program include teachers or aides, family day home providers, program directors or owners and caseworkers.

Early childhood professionals can be found in settings such as childcare or Head Start classrooms, public schools, church schools, private schools and in various human service organizations.