The Gardner School is pleased to announce the accreditation of The Gardner School of Herndon by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This accreditation is a well-deserved honor for Executive School Director Sara Shoulars and the entire team of teachers and staff at The Gardner School of Herndon.
When Sara became Executive Director at The Gardner School of Herndon in 2017, she made it a part of her initial vision to seek accreditation for the school.
“As I was building my team, I felt the best time to go through the process was right at the beginning of my tenure. It would allow me to explain what my expectations are and how we can best meet our company’s mission and vision objectives. I had gone through the process with other schools, and I knew The Gardner School was qualified to do so,” Sara explained.
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. Sara Shoulars took the opportunity to examine each policy and analyze its efficacy.
“It made me reflect about how I was guiding my team. I looked at every policy and procedure, asking myself how I could modify it to make it better. As a result of the NAEYC process, we’ve clarified our policies and procedures,” she said.
After an on-site visit and intensive interviews at The Gardner School of Herndon, NAEYC awarded full accreditation in July of 2019. Tammy Robinson, Chief Operating Office of The Gardner School was delighted by the news.
“We’re proud of the 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.
“Accreditation signals to parents that early childhood education is our top priority and that we are meeting the highest certification standards on a national level. It also allows us to promote the quality of our teachers who are focused on child development and not just childcare. We help guide children on an educational journey that prepares them for kindergarten and beyond. Accreditation also helps our community see the exceptional work we’re doing at The Gardner School of Herndon, which sets us apart from other preschools,” explained Sara.
The Gardner School of Herndon, VA
The Gardner School of Herndon 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 teachers, The Gardner School of Herndon 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 Herndon, schedule a visit today.