The Gardner School is pleased to announce the accreditation of The Gardner School of Franklin by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This accreditation is a well-deserved honor for Executive School Director Christy Wilson and the entire team of teachers and staff at The Gardner School of Franklin.
When Wilson became Executive Director at The Gardner School of Franklin in 2014, NAEYC accreditation was an important goal she kept in sight along the way.
“NAEYC Accreditation is considered the pinnacle of standards for early childhood education. The Gardner School’s mission is to provide the very best environment for our families and teachers, so it was a natural goal for us to pursue national accreditation,” Wilson explains.
The NAEYC Accreditation Board identifies schools that rigorously seek and apply the highest level of engagement and educational best practices. They assess schools based on ten research-based standards to find institutions of learning that bring an exceptional level of excellence to their students.
The extensive accreditation process takes place over the course of up to two calendar years. Candidates for accreditation must prepare teaching portfolios that showcase intentional lesson planning, careful curriculum planning, and even the physical design of the classrooms. At the same time, school leadership must put together a compendium of documents that explains everything from the school’s educational philosophy to detailed rationales for every policy and procedure. Compiling this evidence takes time and intentionality in order to ensure every facet of the school is operating to the highest possible standard. Wilson took the opportunity to examine each policy and analyze its efficacy.
“We were able to do a complete assessment of every school policy, procedure, rhythm, and routine. We used our strong understanding of the NAEYC standards to ensure we were aligned with the highest-quality programming available to young children. We found that maintaining a Three-Star Quality Rating through the State of Tennessee had prepared our teachers, classrooms, and administration for a successful accreditation process,” she said.
After an on-site visit and intensive interviews at The Gardner School of Franklin, NAEYC awarded full accreditation in April of 2020. The school received the celebratory news amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the staff was overjoyed to receive some good news via Zoom meeting and has plans to safely celebrate in-person with everyone back together again. Tammy Robinson, Chief Operating Office of The Gardner School was delighted by the news.
“We’re thrilled at the amount of hard work put forth by the school’s leadership and team members in achieving this accomplishment,” said Robinson. “Our childhood education program at The Gardner School met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria,” she added.
Accreditation by the NAEYC is a true honor in the field of early childhood education. A little more than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC. In total, fewer than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition. This puts The Gardner School at the forefront of providing the best educational experiences for children under the age of six.
“Equipping our team with an overall awareness of high-quality standards has motivated us all to consistently strive for excellence. We have always been proud of our team’s dedication to early childhood education, and it is an honor to have that recognized through accreditation on a national level,” affirms Wilson.
The Gardner School of Franklin is a fully-accredited, academically-focused preschool, offering year-round full- and part-time childcare with early childhood education programs for children six weeks old through five years. With a full suite of on-site enrichment classes and degreed and highly qualified preschool teachers, The Gardner School of Franklin facilitates a rich learning environment that stimulates children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth. To learn more about how we fulfill our mission to parents in Franklin, contact The Gardner School of Franklin today.