Children's Friend Learning Centers Awarded NECPA Accreditation

Status awarded only to programs which substantially exceed minimum state licensing requirements.

Warner Robins, GA (I-Newswire) December 2, 2011 - Children’s Friend Learning Centers at 2526 Moody Road and 105 South Kimberly Road in Warner Robins have been awarded the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA), an accreditation that is reserved for exceptional early childhood programs that substantially exceed minimum state licensing requirements.

Melinda Mathe, Area Manager for Children’s Friend stated, “We expect high standards everywhere; and at these accredited centers it’s obvious that the staff is meeting our expectations. It takes the teamwork and efforts of everyone on staff for accreditation to happen.”

The nationally recognized accreditation follows a rigorous process of self-study, surveys of parents and staff, verification by early childhood education/child care professionals, and a final review by the NECPA Board of Commissioners. All parts of the school’s program are scrutinized during the accreditation process including administration, staff development, the working environment, the developmental program, outdoor and indoor environments, health and safety and parent and community relations. Children’s Friend joins a select few accredited schools in Georgia.

According to NECPA’s website, “The result of Accreditation is improved quality, both in the developmental program for young children and in the health and safety of the environment. Because the NECPA process involves the center management, teachers, and families, all growing as they reach for this higher level of quality, all benefit from the results.” http://bit.ly/uI2iR6

“We’ve made some changes; but accreditation is recognition for what these centers have always done,” says Mathe. Despite the economic challenges created by a depressed economy each center has added materials to their classrooms, teachers have attended additional training courses, and additional safety features have been added the playgrounds. Tonya Tomberlin, Director at Kimberly Road said, “Going through this process has led to more on-going training, more contact between the staff and management and we’re more aware of how our classrooms are equipped. Our teachers are more knowledgeable of child-related issues because of all of the training that they have attended.”

About Children’s Friend Inc.
Children’s Friend Learning Centers operates 37 child care centers and cares for more than 5,000 children in Georgia. www.childrensfriend.com