The Gardner School is proud to announce that three of our Illinois locations have earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The Gardner School of Naperville, The Gardner School at Yorktown Center, and The Gardner School of Chicago – River North received the prestigious honor from NAEYC, an organization that recognizes the top 10% of preschool and kindergarten programs in the U.S. that meet national standards of quality in early childhood education.
“The standards of NAEYC are rigorous. We all work so hard to make learning fun and help our students excel while they’re enrolled with TGS and after they graduate and move on to elementary school. We’re so thrilled that our collective efforts to serve children and their families are being honored in this way,” said Kaitlyn Rose, Executive School Director of TGS of Naperville.
To achieve NAEYC accreditation, both school staff and parents of enrolled students participate in a multi-step process of evaluation and quality improvements. Preschools must meet or surpass a wide range of criteria categorized within ten program standards, including curriculum, staff qualifications, and parent collaboration.
Following accreditation, programs are subject to random, unannounced visits by assessors to ensure that they are maintaining quality standards over a five-year period.
“Our research-based curriculum carefully blends academics with lessons in social-emotional and creative play to prepare young minds for Kindergarten and beyond,” said Tammy Robinson, Chief Operating Officer at The Gardner School. “I’m very grateful to all of our dedicated staff and parents for helping us create our world-class preschool program.”
TGS currently has 25 schools accredited by NAEYC, with nine accredited locations in the Chicago area.