Early Childhood Education Accreditation, Aug. 29

SWOCC release – Southwestern Oregon Community College is pleased to announce the renewed accreditation of our Early Childhood Education and Family Studies degree programs from the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs. NAEYC is the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children. Early childhood preparation programs serve a wide-range of students and prepare early childhood educators for a variety of early learning settings. Accreditation serves as a mechanism for ensuring a consistent and high level of program quality and raises the quality of early childhood education programs serving young children. The NAEYC accreditation system sets a standard of excellence for early childhood programs that prepares teachers at the associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degree levels. The process includes extensive self-study, submission of a self-study report, a site visit conducted by a peer review team, and an accreditation decision made by a national Commission of early childhood professionals. To earn and retain accreditation, Southwestern has demonstrated that we: Align to NAEYC’s Professional Preparation Standards; Respond to the unique needs of our degree candidates and communities; Provide intentional learning experiences for our degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective early childhood educators; and, Continuously assess and reflect on our degree candidates’ performance. Our community is experiencing a childcare provider crisis as the need for quality early childhood teachers and caregivers grows. Early childhood education is among the fastest-growing occupations in the nation. Southwestern is excited to welcome new students entering this field to campus for fall term beginning September 24, 2018. We offer various degree and certificate pathways:  Associate of Applied Science Childhood Education and Family Studies; Associate of Science Transfer Childhood Education and Family Studies; Career Pathway Certificate of Completion Childhood Education and Family Studies, Preschool Children, Education and Development I; Certificate of Completion Childhood Education and Family Studies, Preschool Children, Education and Development II; Associate of Science Transfer Elementary Education; Career Pathway Certificate of Completion Infant Toddler Development; Career Pathway Certificate of Completion Parenting Educator and Early Childhood Home Visitor.  With this accreditation renewal, Southwestern will continue to be looked upon as a national leader in early childhood professional teacher preparation. To learn more about our Childhood Education and Family Studies programs visit: www.socc.edu/childhood or contact Dr. Maidie Rosengarden, maidie.rosengarden@socc.edu, 541-888-1575.