Licensing and
Accreditation of Child
Care Centers
What’s the Difference?
Comparison of Features
Some Differences
LICENSING
• With few exceptions, a
license is required to
legally operate a child
care center
– Can be fined, have
license revoked and
center closed for
noncompliance
ACCREDITATION
• Centers voluntarily
apply for and
comply with
accreditation
standards
Comparison of Features
Some Differences
LICENSING
• Licensing standards vary
from city to city and from
state to state
• Minimum standards set by
government regulatory
agencies, with input from
professionals and
community,
• Established to determine
the least that can be
provided to assure safe,
healthy, nurturing
environment for children's
care and development
ACCREDITATION
• National standards
• Set by professionals
in ECE; intended as
standards of
excellence
• Established to
determine the best
that can be provided
to facilitate optimal
growth and
development
Comparison of Features
Some Differences
LICENSING
• Centers must meet &
maintain minimum
licensing standards
• Representatives from
city and state conduct
study, spot checks,
and recommend
license
ACCREDITATION
• Centers must meet or
exceed minimum
state licensing
requirements (even if
license exempt)
• Self-study validated
by professionals and
conferred by national
commission
Comparison of Features
Some Similarities
LICENSING
• Staff must participate
in ongoing professional
development activities
• Accountable to report
major changes
• License expires &
centers must renew
license at set times
established by law
ACCREDITATION
• Staff engage in
continued
education
• Annual report of
changes and
improvements
• Accreditation
expires/must be
reaccredited
Comparison of State
Licensing Standards
Teaching Qualifications
Illinois
Arkansas
EC Teacher:
• Age 19
• Two years college with
6 sh in ECE OR
• 1 year experience, 1
year college with 6 sh
in ECE (or CDA, CCP…)
EC Teacher Assistant:
• High school diploma or
GED
All employees under
supervision of
director:
• Age 18
• High school diploma
or GED
Licensing and
Accreditation
Why aspire to meet higher
standards through
accreditation?
Indicators of Poor Quality
Child Care
•
•
•
•
Inadequately trained caregivers
Understaffing due to cost constraints
Lack of incentives for professional growth
Excessive staff turnover due to low wages
Impact of Poor Quality Early Care
and Education on Children
• Insecure attachments to caregivers
• Delays in cognitive and language
development
• Lack of pre-reading skills and other age
appropriate behaviors
• Increased displays of aggression toward
other children and adults
Who Are the
Stakeholders?
People with Some Stake in Child Care:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Children
Parents/Families
Providers/Professionals
Agencies/Owners
Community/Society
Others?
Stakeholder
Concerns
Consider the personal and professional
investments of stakeholders, as well as
the impact of policy decisions on the
quality of early care and education.
With a Partner or in Small Groups:
1. Identify some stakeholder concerns,
including possible competing issues
between stakeholders and any resistance
to accreditation
2. Who might be impacted by policy
decisions based on those concerns, and
how might they be affected?
Indicators of High Quality
Early Care and Education
• High staff to child ratios and
smaller group sizes
• Higher levels of staff education
and specialized training
• Low staff turnover
• Administrative stability
• Higher levels of staff
compensation
Benefits of High Quality ECE
Staff Characteristics: Education, Specialized
Training, and Experience
– Developmentally appropriate expectations &
curriculum
Staffing Structure: High Staff to Child Ratios &
Smaller Group Sizes
– Decreased distress in children
– Decreased exposure to danger
– Decreased behavior problems
– Earlier language acquisition
– Increased social competence
Classroom/Caregiver Dynamics: Caregiver
Sensitivity & Responsiveness
– Positive interactions among staff and children
– Positive classroom management style
– Secure child/caregiver attachments
High Quality ECE -> Outcomes
Outcomes for Children From Low Income Groups:
– Improved readiness for school
– Enhanced language and literacy skills
– Higher achievement scores
– Positive social behaviors
– Decreased rate of grade retention
– Fewer placements in Special Ed
– Lower rate of arrest for crimes
– Higher educational attainment
– Increased employment rate and earnings power
References & Resources
Barnett, W. S. (2002). Early Childhood Education,
School Reform Proposals: The Research Evidence,
Tempe, AZ: Education Policy Research Unit, Arizona
State University Available online:
http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/EPRU/documents/EP
RU%202002-101/Chapter%2001-Barnett-Final.pdf
Bowman, B., Donovan, M. S., & Burns, M. S. (Eds.).
(2000). Eager to learn: Educating our preschoolers.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Available
online:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309068363/html/
Bridgman, A., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (1996). Child care
for low-income families: Directions for research.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Available
online:
http://www.nap.edu/books/NI000194/html/index.h
tml
References & Resources
Carnegie Task Force on Meeting the Needs of Young
Children. (1994). Starting points: Meeting the needs
of our youngest children. New York: Carnegie
Corporation of New York. Available online
(abridged):
http://www.carnegie.org/starting_points/
Chicago Metropolis 2020. (2004). The Business of
Early Care and Education in Illinois: Providers’ Tools
for Improving Quality. Chicago, IL: Author.
Available online:
http://www.chicagometropolis2020.org/documents/
ResourceGuide.pdf
Committee for Economic Development. (2004a). A new
framework for assessing the benefits of early
education. New York: Author. Available online:
http://ced.org/docs/report/report_preschool_200
4_assessingbenefits.pdf
References & Resources
Committee for Economic Development. (2004b). Developmental
education: The value of high quality preschool investments
as economic tools. New York: Authors. Available online:
http://ced.org/docs/report/report_preschool_2004_devel
opmental.pdf
Committee for Economic Development. (1993). Why child care
matters: Preparing young children for a more productive
America. New York: Author. Available online:
http://ced.org/docs/report/report_childcare.pdf
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (2005). The
Carolina Abecedarian Project. Chapel Hill, NC: University of
North Carolina. Available online:
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~abc/index.cfm
Human Service Policy Center (2004). Financing access to high
quality early care and education for all Illinois’ children.
Seattle, WA: Evans School of Public Affairs, University of
Washington. Available online:
http://hspc.org/publications/pdf/Illinois_final.pdf
References & Resources
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
(2004). Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers.
Available online:
http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/docs/407.doc
Kagan, S. L., & Cohen, N. (1997). Not by chance:
Creating an early care and education system for
America’s children. New Haven, CT: The Bush
Center in Child Development and Social Policy at
Yale University. Available online:
http://www.nccic.org/pubs/bychance/execsumm.html
Keilty, B., Phillips, D. A., & Shonkoff, J. P. (Eds.).
(1999). Early childhood intervention: Views from the
field. Washington, DC: National Research Council,
National Academy Press. Available online:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309070392/html/
References & Resources
Krajec, V. D., Jorde Bloom, P., Talan, T., & Clark, D.
(2001). Who’s caring for the kids: The status of early
childhood workforce in Illinois. Wheeling, IL: Center
for Early Childhood Leadership. Available online:
http://cecl.nl.edu/research/reports/whos_caring_rep
ort.pdf
National Association for the Education of Young
Children. (2005). Accreditation criteria and
procedures of the National Association for the
Education of Young Children. Washington, DC: Author.
http://www.naeyc.org./accreditation/
National Child Care Information Center (2005). Child
care workforce qualifications. Available online:
http://www.nccic.org/poptopics/qualifications.html
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child
Care. (2005). Individual States Child Care Licensure
Standards. http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/states.htm
References & Resources
Schweinhart, L. (2005). The High/Scope Perry
Preschool study through age 40. Ypsilanti, MI: High
Scope Educational Research Foundation. Available
online:
http://www.highscope.org/Research/PerryProject/P
erryAge40SumWeb.pdf
Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). From
neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early
childhood development. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press. Available online:
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309069882/html
Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the brain: New insights into
early development. New York: Families and Work
Institute.
http://www.familiesandwork.org/index.asp?PageAction=V
IEWPROD&ProdID=82
References & Resources
Smith, S., Fairchild, M., & Groginsky, S. (1995). Early
childhood care and education: An investment that
works. Washington, DC: National Conference of
State Legislatures. Available online:
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/EXSUM.HTM
Vandell, D. L., & Wolfe, B. (2000). Child care quality:
Does it matter and does it need to be improved?
Madison, WI: Institute for Research on Poverty,
University of Wisconsin. Available online:
http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality00/
Waisman Center (2004). Chicago Longitudinal Study:
Chicago Parent-Child Centers. Madison, WI:
University of Wisconsin. Available online:
http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/cls/index.htmlx