Children’s Playhouse, Whitman Center, located at 2501 Marshall in South Philadelphia, 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.
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. Damaris Alvarado-Rodriguez, owner of Children’s Playhouse, Whitman Center, and Children’s Playhouse, Newbold, both located in South Philadelphia, said, “We’re thrilled to have been recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards and to have earned the mark of quality from NAEYC.” Alvarado-Rodriguez has been providing quality child-care and preschool educational programming for families in Philadelphia since 2005. Her Children’s Playhouse Early Learning Centers offer diverse, holistic, inclusive, educational care through sound pedagogy with a strong inclination toward fun.
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, Children’s Playhouse, Whitman Center, 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 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.
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 percent of all childcare centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.
“NAEYC-Accredited programs have committed to a process that takes time, energy, and dedication to complete” states Alissa Mwenelupembe, Senior Director Early Learning Program Accreditation. “Children’s Playhouse has demonstrated their commitment to young children and their families.”
The Children’s Playhouse Early Learning Centers exist to provide a safe, developmentally appropriate, diverse, and inclusive early learning center that supports children of all abilities, cultures, languages, and families of all income levels. They provide a stimulating early learning environment with a focus on digital media and literacy learning experiences that supports each child’s social/emotional, physical, and cognitive development in order to prepare them for future success in school and life. The two Children’s Playhouse centers are located in South Philadelphia. Children’s Playhouse Whitman Center is located at 2501 South Marshall St, Philadelphia, PA 19148. The phone number is 215-372-7050. The Children’s Playhouse Newbold Center is located at 1426 West Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19145. That phone number is 267-519-2124. The website is www.childrensplayhousepa.org.
For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit the NAEYC website.