NAEYC Accreditation

Country Crossings is in Step 3 of a 4 step process in seeking accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The Loganville location is targeted to be NAEYC accredited by July 2010. Our Snellville location which was sold in November 2009, was NAEYC accredited from 1997 until 2009. This prestigious recognition has been achieved by approximately 5% of early childhood programs nationwide.

NAEYC Accreditation assures parents of the following high quality criteria:

• positive staff and child interactions
• child-centered curriculum
• age-appropriate learning programs
• low staff-to-child ratios
• staff qualifications and development
• a healthy and safe environment
• nutritious meals and/or snacks
• partnerships with parents
• program evaluation

Center of Distinction Award

Country Crossings was awarded Center of Distinction recognition in May 2007. This is the premier award given by state licensing to recognize the centers that provide the highest quality care for children up to 4 years old.

The Center of Distinction award seeks to encourage centers to improve well beyond the state’s minimum requirements for licensing. Our Snellville location, which was sold in November 2009, held this distinction from 1998 through 2009. Additionally, Country Crossings was the first center in Walton County to earn this prestigious recognition.

The center was evaluated using the nationally recognized Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS), which provides a basis for objective assessment of toddler and preschool classrooms. Country Crossings met the state’s scoring criteria for the highest award which involves scoring 5.0 to 7.0 in the following seven subscales:

• space and furnishings
• personal care routines
• language-reasoning
• learning activities
• staff-to-child interactions
• program structure
• relationships with parents and staff