Accreditation is a detailed process, but it should not be confusing. The helps listed below will clarify the process for you.
The Administrator Checklist timeline will keep you on track and ensure the process is successful.
The Three Cs of a Successful Accreditation Process:
How to Keep the Director from Going Nuts and the Staff from Bolting for the Door
By Jerry Bowen
The old computer axiom GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) holds true for accreditation. Investing in a positive process leads to a good end product. Plus, we know that in many cases, it is the process that reaps the most lasting benefits. The following guidelines will help you make the accreditation process successful:
1 Collaboration: sharing the load
The great element about the accreditation process is that it involves everyone. Get the entire staff engaged in answering the questions and investigating the school’s programs, facility, and infrastructure. The director could complete all the work, but how would that scenario benefit the staff? The collaborative approach takes longer and needs direction in order to be effective, but it enhances the process and provides an opportunity for the staff to invest in the school. Use committees, teams, group discussions, and wholestaff work times. Look for ways to share the load.
2 Communication: giving everyone the big picture
Why are we doing this? How is this going to benefit the school? Isn’t this just a lot more work for us? If you have employed good communication, your staff already knows the answers to these questions. You have cast a vision for the process, in part by explaining the ensuing benefits that will affect the staff, students, and families. Everyone knows the big picture—the why, what, who, and how long. Using good communication, you have also identified concrete checkpoints along the way, a solid end point, and the necessary involvement of each staff member. The staff has a sense of connection, and you will reinforce that perception along the way.
3 Concise Clarity: telling it the way it really is
Technically this guideline has two Cs, but think of these as one. In the process, there is nothing more important for a school than telling the truth in a way that is clear and to the point. When responding to the self-study questions, keep answers and information clear and honest. Don’t get so flowery and verbose that an evaluator who is reading the self-study would not have an accurate picture of the school and program. If there are areas that need improvement, you should identify them with forthrightness. Do not try to sweep concerns under the carpet—that evasiveness defeats the purpose of self-evaluation. And be brief. There is no need to belabor a point, whether a strength or a weakness. Describe the way things really are. Improvements can be incorporated into your growth plan. Strengths can be celebrated in your public-relations materials. Remember, the self-study serves as a snapshot of your program.
Using these principles can aid in producing meaningful school improvement and an encouraged and involved staff. And thereby the students and families you serve will reap long-term benefits.
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Accreditation: Mistakes to Avoid
By Jerry Bowen
You’ve seen the lists of things you “should” do during the accreditation process. Put all that away, for this is a list of mistakes to enjoy doing during the accreditation process. Follow them, and I guarantee failure, burnout, discouragement, and disappointment. Avoid them, and you will find encouragement, success, and a beneficial process. So here is the list, including what someone might be thinking when following the list, and of course, including the way it should be.
1 Do it all yourself.
Why share the load when the director can do it all—research the data, gather the facts, and respond to all the questions herself? Don’t involve any of the faculty or staff. They will just slow the process down, and they’ll muddy the waters with their input.
The way it should be: The process is to be as collaborative as you can make it. Involve the staff, faculty, parents, and board—the works. Yes, guide the process, but spread the load and allow others to invest in the journey.
2 Don’t let the staff know what is going on.
Don’t tell the staff that you’ve decided to seek accreditation. There is no need to distract them from their teaching and child-care duties. They have enough to do as it is. They don’t really want or need to know how the school works anyway.
The way it should be: Oh yes, they do want to know, and the more they know, the greater the probability that they will support the process. Let them know why the program is being accredited and how it will benefit them, their students, and the parents. Also, the information will help them see the big picture.
3 Keep the board out of the loop and in the dark.
They are not educators and probably can’t understand the accreditation process. Why confuse them with this process when they have more important things to think about?
The way it should be: The board needs to be “on board” and supportive of the process. In addition, as the knowledge and involvement of the board increases, the school reaps an increasing number of benefits. Who would be better at tooting the horn of accomplishment and success than the board?
4 Hide problems when they are discovered.
When you find problem areas during the process (and you will), don’t identify them, but rather cover them up, hide them deep in the self-study, or ignore them altogether. Maybe the visiting team won’t notice them either.
The way it should be: A benefit of the process is identifying the areas that need improvement and then building a growth plan. Be honest, tell it the way it is, and be completely aboveboard. Then you won’t be surprised by anything the visiting team members find—and they will find it.
5 Try to fix every weakness as you find it.
If I fix things as I go, then the school won’t have any problems or weaknesses when the visiting team arrives, and we will sail though the visit. Besides, good early education programs don’t have any problems.
The way it should be: Everyone has areas that need attention, updates, small changes, or major changes. One of the beneficial outcomes of the process is a prioritized list of areas that need action, especially if these areas are related to educational practices or student safety and health.
6 Rush through the process.
I got bogged down and didn’t get to the study materials, so now we have to rush through to be ready for the site visit. Sure, things are rough and a bit sloppy, but it’s just a report.
The way it should be: The quality of the self-study process is directly proportional to the time and attention you give to it. Make your report both reflect your attention to excellence and indicate how your program is run. Plan for enough time to do a good, thorough job—one that’s not rushed at the end.
7 Inflate the self-study to make your program look better.
We decided to shoot the way they are now. We used the study to express our hopes and dreams for the future.
The way it should be: Dreams are fine, but the self-study is a snapshot of reality here and now. Yes, tell about the good things, but tell about all the elements of your program, good or otherwise. This report is your baseline for future improvement.
8 Ignore accreditation standards you don’t really like.
Some of the standards are just so picky, so we glossed them over. We did sort of meet the standards, and that’s good enough, isn’t it?
The way it should be: They are not called standards for nothing. While there is some room for interpretation, the school consultant is there to help the school make sure that it meets state and ACSI standards. The standards are not simply suggestions.
9 Don’t ever share the final self-study with the staff, board, or parents.
It is just a report, and they would not be interested in it. I will just keep it here in my office, up on a shelf where it will be if I need it.
The way it should be: The report is your source for improvement and planning, and it contains accolades that your school family needs to know. It is a wonderful tool for promotion, public relations, and growth potential.
10 Ignore the self-study report guidelines.
I know the accreditation manual gives guidelines for writing the self-study, but I don’t really like that format. So I decided to use my own and add the data that I thought would be important for the visiting team to see.
The way it should be: Follow the format. Visiting validators are expecting your report in a format that is familiar to them, easing the tasks of reading the information and analyzing your program. While following the format takes time at first, it will make sense in the end.
There you have my top ten ways to get defeated in the accreditation process. But you don’t have to do it that way. You could do it the way it should be.
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Guiding Principles for EE Programs
The accountability, purpose, and beliefs of those involved in Christian early education are higher, coming from an authority outside self. Therefore, excellence, growth, and improvement are welcome, intentionally woven into the daily practices of the early education center. Recognizing God's call to minister to children and families, as well as to the community at large, the early education program commits to these worthy, ongoing pursuits.
Our accountability is higher. While an early education program is directly accountable to the children and families served in the program, the Christian program is first and foremost accountable to God and His purposes for the program. That sense of accountability informs the hiring practices, instructional program, operational practices, enrollment procedures—each area of the program's life.
Our purpose is higher. The work of Christian early education is eternal work, and it deserves the very best efforts. Dr. H. Gene Garrick (n.d.) said, "The entire process of education is seen as a means used by the Holy Spirit to bring the student into fellowship with God, to develop a Christian mind in him and to train him in godly living, so that he can fulfill God's total purpose for his life personally and vocationally."
Because of the commitment to serve children, families, and staff with excellence, there is a commitment to intentional, ongoing improvement and strategic planning. Christian early education programs are in various stages of growth and development. The accreditation process recognizes both the strengths and the potential of programs, and it offers support and encouragement for the successful completion of accreditation.
We value all children. Every child is a unique and special creation from the hand of God. Children in a community of learners gain appreciation for cultures, gender, and the differently abled student as a result of the value placed on each child by the adults in program leadership. As early educators, we purpose to develop a strong self-esteem in the life of young children, a self-esteem rooted in their realization that they are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus.
We value early childhood. Child development is a unique and complex process. Childhood, the journey through which children travel, is honored as a God-ordained process characterized by unique and distinct developmental stages; therefore, the early education program intentionally provides optimum learning experiences for the whole child, to include spiritual, social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development. The process is meaningful. Matriculating from stage to stage and age to age must be appropriately addressed. Additionally, matriculating into formal schooling must be recognized and addressed.
We value the role of parents and family. Recognizing the importance of parents as the primary educators of their children, the early childhood program supports and encourages parent partnership in the educational process.
We value the accessibility of adults to children. In Scripture, we find that Jesus was accessible to children. The teacher-child relationship is the cornerstone of a successful early education experience. Because Jesus is wholly trustworthy, teachers will provide an environment where safety and trust abound. Recognizing the significant responsibility of teaching children, the early educator embraces the concept of being a role model, determining to live a life characterized by continuing spiritual growth that is consistent with biblical principles.
We value dynamic, authentic expressions of biblical principles. Biblical principles support, influence, and drive all aspects of the program. Biblical principles are expressed in the lives of teachers, are not isolated within the curriculum, and are not limited to head knowledge, or the learning of stories and facts. Instead, biblical principles are expressed from the heart of caregivers-in their kindness and gentleness toward children.
Reference
Garrick, H. Gene. n.d. Quoted in Philosophy of Christian School Education, ed. Paul A. Kienel, Ollie E. Gibbs, and Sharon R. Berry. Colorado Springs, CO: Association of Christian Schools International, 1995.
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The Self-Study Process in EE Accreditation
D. Merle Skinner is the preschool director and founder of Christian Family and Children's Center in Champion, Pennsylvania. Champion Christian Preschool is an ACSI-accredited center.
How many times have you asked yourself the question, I wonder what other preschools are doing about staff training, building codes, and tuition? Or have you ever wanted to get feedback about an area that seems to indicate success? Perhaps you wonder how well you are doing in an area that appears to need attention.
For the staff of the preschool program at Champion Christian School, answering questions like these was a part of the benefits of doing the self-study in the accreditation process. We assigned teams of people to work on areas such as staffing, facilities, curriculum, food services, board/ administrative leadership, health, and the preschool's relationship to the community. For these teams, the accreditation standards became a kind of consultant that enabled them to compare the school's accomplishments with what others defined as a level of excellence.
What an encouragement it was to find that we had done significant work and had many appropriate policies and procedures. This conclusion reinforced a sense of professionalism in the staff. In the areas that needed improvement, the standards gave us clear direction. For some areas, no policy existed, so we needed to develop one. For other areas, we had developed an informal policy and needed to document it. At times, we needed to talk with someone who could help us with the learning curve in an area. Regardless of which situation we faced, the standards gave us valuable feedback that we would not have received without going through the accreditation process, and in particular the self-study.
The aspect of the self-study that sets it apart from the rest of the accreditation process is that the preschool itself pilots it. The organization examines itself against the standards, draws conclusions, and finds solutions. Although an outside team analyzes those conclusions, the preschool evaluates, from its own perspective, its strengths and weaknesses, and then it determines appropriate actions.
If used correctly, the self-study can build confidence and professionalism in the staff as they work through the process. For Champion Christian Preschool, the self-study took much time and energy, but it provided many long-term benefits. It was definitely a growing experience!
More helpful information from Christian Early Education:
The Process: Eating the Elephant of Accreditation
Keeping Yourself Organized During the Accreditation Process
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