1. WE’RE ACCREDITED….NOW WHAT? MAINTAINING ACCREDITATION AND SUSTAINING QUALITY Presented by: Julie Leslie & Kim St. Marie

2. SESSION GOALS Approaches to sustaining quality over term of accreditation NAEYC5 years MAAP3 years NECPA3 years Accreditation tools and criteria for quality improvement Formal requirements to maintain accreditation Related resources

3. QUALITY Quality is complex Multi-dimensional Shaped and experienced by different stakeholders Quality is dynamic Quality can decline if not tended New challenges arise Quality must be sustained and improved over time

4. FORDISCUSSION… FOR DISCUSSION…  What changes has your program experienced since earning accreditation that could affect your ability to sustain the accreditation standards?

5. Strategies for Sustaining Quality  Maintain a “self-study” mindset & engage in continuous quality improvement  Look to your Accreditation Decision Report for guidance on areas to improve  Maintain up to date documentation of quality  Conduct routine observations  Continue to engage staff & stakeholders

6. DEFINING SELF STUDY What is Self-Study? – Reflective Practice – Collaborative Process Why is it important? – Necessary for making improvements and sustaining quality “Self Study Never Ends”

7. ONGOING SELF-STUDY TASKS 1. Build shared understandings of what are best practices 2. Gather evidence of your practices 3. Determine strengths & weaknesses 4. Develop improvement plans 5. Make improvements & document progress 6. Evaluate results & next steps

8. Accreditation Decision Report  % Met Criteria by Standard,  % Met Criteria by Group/Classroom,  Commendations on Standards,  Topic Areas for Ongoing Improvement, and  Portfolio Feedback

9. DETERMINE AREAS OF STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES  Refer to Accreditation Decision Report for Improvement Areas  Use observations and survey data  Take an honest look at current practices  Celebrate strengths  Are we fully meeting accreditation standards?  Identifying areas for improvement

10. Observable Source of Evidence Observable Criteria or Indicators Meetings Interactions and Communications Written/Photographic Sources of Evidence Classroom Portfolios Program Portfolio Family Surveys Teaching Staff Surveys On-going Documentation and Observation Pre-Visit Documents NAEYC On-Site Documents MAAP

11. DOCUMENTATION  Devise a method for updating portfolios  Policies and practices  Curriculum and assessments  New hires  Surveys  Stay current with NAEYC updates  Devise a method for updating on-site and pre-visit documentation  New hires  Evidence of partially met emerging indicators  Surveys  Stay current with MAAP updates

12. Observable Evidence: What can be directly seen: Relationships Curriculum or Activities Teaching Practices Environments Health and Safety Practices

13. CONDUCTING OBSERVATIONS  Be intentional/make them a priority  Be unobtrusive  Take time to understand the context  Consider the child’s perspective  Vary observation times  Provide feedback in timely manner  Use a variety of observers

14. Engage Staff New Staff: Hiring expectations : professionalism, excellence New staff orientation to best practices Mentoring All Staff : Professional development goal setting Individual Teams, program-wide Linked to annual staff evaluations

15. Engage Staff o Staff/Team meetings o Joint problem-solving to improve specific practices o Keep up-to-date on emerging best practices o Update portfolios and documents together o Use NAEYC & MAAP resources o Staff Surveys – program evaluation o Teaching Young Children o Professional development resources (MnAEYC/MnSACA trainings, videos, Youtube)

16. Program Evaluation & Accountability  NAEYC Topic Area 10.F: Sustaining and enhancing quality through formal program assessments  MAAP- I.4.D. The program leadership conducts routine assessments of the environment and activities to identify areas of improvement and to celebrate program strengths.  Program Evaluation should be:  Regular – at least annually  Collaborative – at a minimum include administrators, families, and staff  Comprehensive – inclusive of all standards  Based on valid and reliable processes for gathering data and evidence

17. Engage Families  Evaluation: Use NAEYC/MAAP’s Family Survey (or other means) to assess families’ views of program at least annually  Policies and procedures  Program quality  Children’s progress and learning  Family involvement and satisfaction  Accountability: Report findings to families  Continuous Improvement:  Involve families in goal-setting for your program  participating in the creation of a community of learners

18. Engage Other Stakeholders  Use NAEYC/MAAP’s resources to communicate what ECE and SA quality means  Make your program visible in your community; coordinate actions with others  Keep informed & advocate for ECE and SA programming with your state and local governments

19. Maintaining Accreditation  Ensures programs continue to meet Standards & Criteria/Indicators  Increases the accountability of the accreditation system  Provides NAEYC/MAAP with up-to-date program information

20. Evidence of Maintaining Accreditation  Annual Reports  Self Reports  72 Hour Notification  Random Unannounced Visits  Responding to Complaints  Verification Visits

21. CONGRATULATIONS ON ACHIEVING YOUR ACCREDITATION!

22. Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome. -Arthur Ashe