(Marietta, Ga. – March 31, 2015) Chattahoochee Technical College announced recently that the college’s Early Childhood Care and Education Associate of Applied Science Degree Program has been recommended for accreditation by the Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation Commission of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This national accreditation places the program in the upper echelon of such programs in the country, as fewer than 200 have been approved for this honor.
“We are now the first and only nationally accredited AAS program in Early Childhood Care and Education in the state of Georgia,” said Chattahoochee Technical College Lead Instructor Frances Carlson. “CTC has always had the reputation of being a leader in Early Childhood Education. This recognition affirms the excellence of our program and honors the work of our faculty and students.”
NAEYC sets the national standards for higher education programs for early childhood teacher preparation, which are based on recent research in early childhood development and describe what well-prepared graduates should know and be able to do. These standards provide a common vision for quality early childhood teacher education in associate, baccalaureate and graduate degree programs and are implemented through two accreditation systems. Accredited associate degree programs provide access to the profession and a strong foundation for the diverse pool of early childhood teachers that are needed in the field.
“The accreditation substantiates the high expectations and high level of professionalism that we expect from our students,” said Dean of Business and Technical Studies Marcy Smith. “It recognizes the excellence of our teaching faculty, our cutting edge use of technology and the importance of the hours of clinical field experience our students are expected to complete.”
To receive accreditation, a program must meet six core standards in the areas of child development and learning, family and community relations, observing, documenting, and assessing children’s learning, developmentally effective approaches, using content knowledge, and professionalism. According to the accreditation decision report issued by NAEYC, Chattahoochee Technical College’s program’s learning opportunities are “aligned with key elements of the standards” and “describe program expectations for students’ growth and competence in relation to the standards.”
The accreditation process was carried out over several months and involved a self-assessment, submission of an extensive application and an accreditation site visit by NAEYC during the fall semester to interview students, faculty and other stakeholders related to the program. The accreditation will remain in place for seven years, and the department is required to provide an annual status report to the NAEYC.
With classes available at the Canton, Marietta and Paulding campuses, as well as online, Chattahoochee Technical College’s Early Childhood Care and Education Degree Program consists of 72 credit hours of instruction in general education and occupational courses. Students choose to specialize in one of four areas, including exceptionalities, infant/ toddler, program administration or paraprofessional. Graduates of the program are eligible to work in early care and education settings such child care centers, Head Start, Georgia Pre-K programs, and elementary school paraprofessional positions. The college also offers diploma and technical certificate of credit programs in this field.