Prairie Children Preschool has achieved an important endorsement of its programs, the Indian Prairie District 204 Board of Education learned Monday.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children has certified that the preschool program operated by the school district meets its standards for accreditation.
Such accredited programs ensure that preschools maintain a standard of excellence in areas such as age-appropriate activities, trained directors and teachers, along with ongoing professional development, cultural diversity, safety, inclusive environments and good communication between parents and teachers.
Program directors seeking accreditation first collect information from parents, teachers, administrators and classroom observations. “Then an outside team of experts came in to assess whether we met their standards,” said Karen Sullivan, principal of the school.
The accreditation, which lasts three years, is only granted to 7 percent of early-childhood programs nationwide.
The board also learned that District 204 was selected as one of four school districts statewide to work with the Illinois Board of Education on creating standards for preschool education.
