The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Early Childhood Education Preschool located at the Nampa Campus Multipurpose Building, has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)—the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children.
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, the CWI Early Childhood Education Preschool went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit from NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure the program met each of the ten 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.
The program is proud to have earned the mark of quality from NAEYC, and to be recognized for a commitment to reaching the highest professional standards. Students in CWI’s Early Childhood Education Program teach in the preschool to get hands-on practice teaching young children with a qualified instructor.
“We want our students to see and experience a quality program, so when they graduate they can take this knowledge into the field with them and increase quality throughout Idaho,” said Sherri Lauer, Assistant Professor and Preschool Director. “Our preschool is open to three to five-year-old children, with discounts given to employees and students of CWI.”
In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than ten percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition. CWI’s program is the first to achieve accreditation in Canyon County, and one of only 22 in the state of Idaho.
For more information, please visit our website or contact Sherri Lauer at 208.562.3483 or sherrilauer@cwi.edu.
