Child Care Center Earns High Marks on Accreditation Report

The littlest members of the Buffalo State campus—and their parents—have a reason to cheer. The Buffalo State Child Care Center not only was recently awarded accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for another five years, it also achieved an almost perfect score on its assessments.

"It took us a full year to prepare," said Jennifer Minet, the center's executive director. Each lead teacher had to prepare a portfolio outlining her classroom curriculum and what the children had achieved during the previous year. These were given to the site evaluators who also visited half of the classrooms.

Assessments were based upon 10 new standards the NAEYC adopted that include teacher qualifications, leadership, and how teachers interact with the children. The classrooms scored between 96 and 99 (out of 100). In light of the change to more rigorous standards, the high scores "are huge," said Minet, who took the helm in 2010. She credits the achievement to a qualified staff committed to the accreditation process.

Buffalo State’s center first earned its national accreditation in 2007. When the previous director left in 2009, the NAEYC made a few surprise visits as is common when a child care center experiences a big change. The center retained its accreditation status but was encouraged to improve in a few areas. Since then, the scores went up by 10 percent.

"Only 2 percent of child care programs in the area have this national accreditation," Minet said. "It’s a rigorous and expensive process to go through."

But, when achieved, it elevates the center’s reputation. "We’ve received a lot of referrals from it," she said.

Licensed for 82 children, the center currently has 76 enrolled. They range from very young infants to 4-year-olds. In the summer, they also care for up to 12 school-age children. Enrollment is split between children of students and children of faculty and staff. For students, tuition runs on a sliding fee scale based upon income.

"Our mission is to provide quality, affordable child care," Minet said.

Some teachers have advanced degrees, and turnover is lower than many centers, Minet noted. Additionally, the Buffalo State center boasts a larger staff than most child centers due to work-study students and students who volunteer as part of their classwork.

"We are open to so many resources—faculty from both Buffalo State and UB (University at Buffalo) conduct research here in disciplines from early childhood (education) to psychology,” she said. "The students in the Speech-Language Pathology Department offer free assessments to our children, too."

But it’s the teachers’ day-to-day interaction with the children—enthusiastically leading 3-year-olds in a song or helping a pair of 2-year-olds navigate the concept of sharing—that make the center stand out.

 "These are such important jobs," Minet said. “Our caregivers spend 50 hours a week with some of the children. It’s a crucial stage of their life that determines how they will develop and perform down the road."