Author Description

A large-scale longitudinal assessment was conducted of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) child care center accreditation process. The assessment focused on the extent to which centers seeking NAEYC accreditation improve in quality, the level of quality and staff stability achieved, and support needed. Classroom observations and interviews with directors and teaching staff in 92 child care centers resulted in the following major findings: (1) centers that become NAEYC-accredited demonstrated higher overall quality at the beginning of the accreditation process, and showed greater improvement in quality than centers that were unsuccessful in obtaining accreditation; (2) nearly 40 percent of NAEYC-accredited centers continued to be rated as mediocre in quality; (3) nonprofit status, higher teacher wages, retention of skilled teachers, and NAEYC accreditation were predictors of high quality; (4) all centers had teacher turnover rates approaching or exceeding 50 percent during the study period, and quality of care, not accreditation, was related to retention of skilled teachers; (5) retention of skilled teachers was related to above average wages, working with well-trained teachers, and a climate of low turnover; (6) regardless of accreditation, highly trained teachers who left jobs earned considerably less than colleagues who remained; (7) accreditation was related to receiving intensive support; and (8) high- or moderate-intensity support was associated with quality improvement. (Four appendices detail findings, describe measurement instruments, and compare NAEYC accreditation criteria and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Contains 41 references.) (KB)