Spartanburg Community College’s Early Childhood Development Programs Earn NAEYC Accreditation
October 3, 2010
SPARTANBURG, SC – October 2, 2010 – Spartanburg Community College’s (SCC) Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programs recently received continuing accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). SCC was one of 12 community/technical colleges in South Carolina to receive this accreditation. There are 113 NAEYC accredited associate degree programs from 86 colleges across the nation.
“This accreditation gives our students additional options and ensures that all of the early childhood programs across the state have the same course competencies,” said Dr. Rita Melton, dean of the SCC Health and Human Services Division, “Having this accreditation at the community college level allows students to take more classes closer to home with the confidence that they will move on to four-year institutions to continue their education.”
Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 90,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations. NAEYC is dedicated to improving the well being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. Membership is open to all individuals who share a desire to serve and act on behalf of the needs and rights of all young children.
The NAEYC has worked to raise the quality of programs for all children from birth through age eight. A major part of organization’s efforts to improve early childhood education is through an accreditation system for programs that are committed to meeting national quality standards. NAYCE sets the national standards for higher education programs for early childhood teacher preparation, which are key in raising the quality of programs serving young children. Professional preparation standards are based on recent research in early childhood development and describe what well-prepared graduates should know and be able to do. They provide a common vision for quality early childhood teacher education in associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degree programs and are implemented through two accreditation systems.
Additionally, accreditation provides a framework for self study, external evaluation and improvement in the quality of teacher preparation programs. Associate degree programs are measured on national standards based on what their students should know and are trained to perform. These standards include the ability to promote childhood development and learning; build family and community relationships; observe, document and assess to support young children and families; use developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families; use content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum; and become a professional in the field.
SCC’s Early Childhood Development Programs include certificates and Associate of Applied Science-General Technology degrees in the areas of Advanced Child Care Management and Infant Toddler specialties. These degrees have met the criteria through documented learning opportunities, key assessments, data on student performance and the use of performance data.
“Reaching this milestone involved a tremendous amount of team effort,” adds Becky Bridwell, chair of the Early Childhood Development Department. “Since its initial accreditation in 2007, this program has continued to enhance the quality of our two-year early childhood programs. It is an exciting time to be involved in preparing and training students to work in the education of young children.”
Students may enter the SCC programs in the fall or spring semester with options of day, evening and online classes. For additional information regarding SCC’s Early Childhood Development Programs, visit www.sccsc.edu/academics/programs/ecd or email Department Chair Becky Bridwell ([email protected])or the department Administrative Assistant, Reba Trull, ([email protected]).
About Spartanburg Community College
SCC offers over 80 academic programs of study including associate degrees, diplomas and certificates plus University Transfer opportunities to four-year universities. SCC provides flexible class scheduling including online classes through SCCOnline, FlexStart classes, evening classes and more. SCC currently serves more than 4,700 students through the college’s credit classes and more than 15,000 students in non-credit classes through SCC’s Corporate and Community Education Division. To learn more, visit www.sccsc.edu.
