WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- The 509th Force Support Squadron’s Ike Skelton Child Development Center at Whiteman Air Force Base recently earned high marks for the National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation.
The NAEYC accreditation is given to child development programs showing they uphold the highest standards in child care.
These standards are based on recommended practices for children, teachers, and administrators, encouraging accountability for providing high quality learning environments and future improvement.
After inspectors from the NAEYC came to examine the CDC classrooms, procedures, and practices, the CDC earned their accreditation.
Earning this high score is no small task, as the inspectors can be very meticulous in their scrutiny.
“The NAEYC looks at everything from the appearance of the facility, making sure that it’s safe, to interactions with the children and parents,” said Dawn McCoy, CDC director. “They even made sure that staff were washing their hands for 20 seconds and timed it.”
Leslie Johansen and Misty Azzaro, CDC training specialists, trained 55 staff members who were able to meet the high expectations. It was a team effort that called for dedication from all CDC members.
“There’s a lot of time that the staff put into all this, coming in on family days to make sure their classrooms were ready,” said Azzaro. “I can offer suggestions and help, but they were the ones here being observed and did what they were trained to do.”
Azzaro's sentiments were echoed by McCoy.
“As a director I was extremely happy because I knew the staff weren't doing it because the inspector was in the classroom, but because that’s the way they care for children,” said McCoy. “The training and coaching Lesley and Misty did in the classrooms paid off.”
Having earned a score of over 95% on this most recent inspection, the CDC has no intention of slowing down and will continue to ensure that it is a safe environment for Team Whiteman’s youngest members.