The Child Development/Early Childhood Program at Amarillo College was greeted with some superlative news Aug. 26—notification that its Child Development Lab School has been awarded full accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Awarding of this particular accreditation is prestigious because the NAEYC was the first organization to set standards for early childhood programs. The accreditation system establishes national standards for the early care and education of young children. This comprehensive process is recognized as the highest achievement a program can obtain.

AC’s Lab School is located on the West Campus. It becomes only the second early childhood program in the 40-plus county West Texas region to receive the hard-earned NAEYC recognition under the new accreditation system.

Department Chair Mary Clare Munger and her faculty and staff completed and submitted an extensive self-study to NAEYC last fall. A representative of NAEYC made a site visit to AC in June. Official accreditation soon followed.

“Amarillo College is extremely proud of this achievement,” Munger said. “It’s not easy to achieve and requires a lot of dedication, which is why you only have two such programs in a nearly 50-county region to be awarded this highest level of accreditation.”

AC’s Child Development Lab School (CDLS) is a carefully planned environment for infants through preschool, where hundreds of adult students from AC and throughout the community study various aspects of child development and elementary education.

“Every minute of every day is important for the youngest among us,” Monger said. “Young children grow and learn quickly. To partner with families in these early years and provide our very best practices means so much to the future success of our little ones. That in turn enables us to educate teachers and directors who make a real difference in the careers they ultimately pursue.”