The problem

• Fewer than 100 of New York City’s 1,800 licensed child care facilities are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children. Accreditation is the most widely recognized standard of quality in early care and education. It sets guidelines for curriculum and staff training and assures an appropriate and well equipped physical environment to support the healthy development of youngsters attending early childhood centers.

The strategy

• CICK, with Quality New York, an initiative to help child care programs achieve the NAEYC seal of approval, launched a pilot program to upgrade space in six nonprofit New York City child care facilities. The $300,000 effort, funded equally by The Toys “R”� Us Children’s Fund, Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, significantly enhanced classrooms, teacher spaces, multi-purpose areas and outdoor playgrounds serving children (ages birth to five years) from low-income families throughout the city.
  
  With Quality New York accreditation staff and the centers’ teachers and directors, CICK performed assessments that covered the entire center, inside and out. The assessments identified the most effective way for each center to improve the physical environment, resulting in better program quality. These ranged from low- or no-cost improvements achieved by a better layout of current equipment, as well as significant upgrades, which the $300,000 helped fund.

The result

• The participating centers purchased high quality, age-appropriate furnishings and equipment; improved gross motor and outdoor play space; addressed health and safety issues; and supported the work environment for staff. Children are now more engaged in a broader range of activities in newly equipped classrooms; staff morale improved following investments in children’s and staff space; and parents feel new pride in their children’s early care and education environments. This project has resulted in higher quality physical environments for the more than 400 children served by the participating centers, and has helped these programs move toward accreditation. Furthermore, the work completed on these six centers is serving as a model for how other providers can assess and improve their available space. One center has received accreditation and three are about to.