By Carlotta Mohamed
The Kiddie Academy of Flushing has achieved the highest educational standards, earning accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The academy — located at 33-25 Parsons Blvd. — is the first learning program in the Flushing community to achieve the recognition and five-year accreditation from the NAEYC.
The NAEYC is a nonprofit organization that promotes high quality learning for all young children — from birth through age 8 — by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research, according to its website.
Olga Carucci, owner of the Kiddie Academy of Flushing, said since opening in October 2013, the academy has aspired to reach the highest educational standards.
“Achieving NAEYC accreditation is a proud moment for us, as we can now highlight the fact that we’re operating against the organization’s high standards in early childhood education to offer parents unparalleled education and care,” said Carucci.
The Kiddie Academy of Flushing provides an exceptional educational learning experience for approximately 180 students from six weeks old to 12 years old, according to Carucci.
From its infant and toddler daycare students to school-age children, the academy integrates technology education, health and fitness programs, nutritious family-style meals and even sign language to prepare for a bright, successful future.
To earn accreditation, Carucci said the academy completed an extensive one-year self-study process, measuring the program and its services against more than 400 related accreditation criteria and a set of 10 research-based early childhood program standards.
The standards included relationships with families and staff, the curriculum, teaching methods, assessment of children at the academy, health and fitness, teachers in the classroom, families and community relationships, physical environment, and leadership and management.
According to Carucci, the standards were created with contributions from experts and educators from around the country, and developed to raise the quality of education for children from birth through age 8 while defining what NAEYC believes all early childhood programs should provide.
“High-quality early childhood education is directly linked to better cognitive function and language development,” said Richard Peterson, vice president of education at Kiddie Academy. “This accreditation process is a powerful tool to set benchmarks for educational excellence and improving program quality.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmoha
