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Quality New York

New York City is home to the largest number of preschool-aged children living in poverty of any U.S. city. New York also has a high concentration of young children born of first generation immigrant parents. With poverty and lack of English-speaking proficiency at home posing major risks for school failure, New York's preschoolers are especially likely to benefit from high-quality early care and education.

Research shows that children in high quality early learning programs are better prepared for academic success when they enter kindergarten. In addition,

• They are 50% less likely to need special education and 25% less likely to be held back at the end of 3rd grade.
• They are also less likely to experience teen pregnancy or commit crimes, and they have better literacy, math and social skills than their peers.
• It is estimated that for every $1 invested in high-quality early care and education, $7 is saved in unnecessary welfare payments, uncommitted crimes, decreased use of special education, and reduced unemployment.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a critical tool for ensuring that young children receive high quality care and education services during their earliest years, when the foundation for life-long learning is laid. Yet, when Quality New York began in 2003, fewer than 75 of New York City's 1,500 licensed childcare centers have achieved these national standards.

The Community Action Approach

Quality New York -- a lead program of United Way of New York City's Success By 6 initiative -- works to strengthen the quality of early childhood education programs (particularly those that serve low-income children) in New York City. The program specifically seeks to increase the number of early care and education programs that engage in ongoing quality improvement towards achieving and maintaining accreditation by NAEYC. NAEYC accreditation normally takes one to two years to complete.

Program Goals

Quality New York seeks to increase the quality of early care and education programs in New York City by:

• Increasing awareness and understanding of NAEYC accreditation and the accreditation process among NYC child care programs
• Improving and maintaining the quality of early care and education programs participating in QNY
• Increasing the number of programs that achieve NAEYC accreditation in New York City
• Providing NYC with an expanded pool of trained professionals and mentors who are well versed in accreditation.

Key Services Offered

Quality New York aims to demystify and explain the NAEYC accreditation process. We help programs, parents, and public officials understand its value. Participating programs receive a range of comprehensive services, including:

• Professional training for program directors and teachers to meet the accreditation standards
• Technical support and consultation throughout the accreditation process
• Quality Advisors who provide tailored assistance
• Accreditation support groups for early childhood program directors

Program Highlights

In six years, Quality New York has accomplished these milestones:

• Over 180 early childhood programs have engaged in training workshops for both directors and staff, where professionals share tools and resources to improve their work with children and families.
• 83 programs have completed the intensive preparation process and have been accredited.

Our Partners in Quality New York  We rely on the expertise and support of many organizations to ensure the effectiveness of Quality New York: Funding Partners The F.B. Heron Foundation The Picower Foundation Women United in Philanthropy United Way of New York City Donors Community-based Partners Bank Street College of Education Child Care, Inc. Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Inc.

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