Peopleplace has been a NAEYC accredited program since 1987, and was among the first programs in Maine to become accredited.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation represents the mark of quality in early childhood education. NAEYC Accreditation began in 1985 with the goal of providing an accrediting system that would raise the level of early childhood programs. Today, over 7,000 programs are NAEYC Accredited.  NAEYC identifies 10 standards of high quality early childhood education:

1. Promote positive relationships for all children and adults to encourage each child’s sense of individual worth.

2. Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development; cognitive, emotional, language, physical and social.

3. Use developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate and affecting teaching approaches.

4. Provide ongoing assessments of a child’s learning and development and communicate the child’s progress to the family.

5. Promote the nutrition and health of children and protect children and staff from injuries and illness.

6.  Employ a teaching staff that has the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children’s learning and development and to support families’ diverse needs and interests.

7. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with each child’s family.

8. Establish relationships with and use the resources of the community to support the achievement of program goals.

9. Provide a safe and healthy physical environment.

10. Implement strong personnel, fiscal, and program management policies so that all children, families, and staff have high quality experiences.