WATERVILLE — Educare Central Maine has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children — the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children, according to a news release from the nonprofit.

NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments.

“We’re proud to achieve the mark of quality from NAEYC and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Rhonda Kaiser, school director. “Educare Central Maine, part of the national Educare Learning Network, provides comprehensive high quality early care and education to young children, their families and communities to improve school readiness and close the achievement gap.”

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, Educare Central Maine went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the 10 program standards and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years. Educare Central Maine continues its national accreditation status.

In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 6,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC — less than 10% of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.

“NAEYC-Accredited programs have committed to a process that takes time, energy and dedication to complete,” said Alissa Mwenelupembe, senior director of Early Learning Program Accreditation. “Educare Central Maine has demonstrated their commitment to young children and their families.”

For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit naeyc.org. To learn more about Educare Central Maine, visit educarecentralmaine.org.