Burbank Community YMCA Child Development Center
eConnections will be recognizing excellence in Early Care and Education by focusing our spotlight on a different NAEYC accredited school each edition.
The spotlight this edition showcases the Burbank Community YMCA Child Development Center located in Burbank, CA. Director Angela Buck and her staff sent in the following information.
“Currently, the center operates with twelve fulltime preschool teachers, ten before and after school counselors and an administration staff of five. The center opened its doors in 1989 offering child care and after school needs to the community. The preschool program now serves children ages 18 months through 5.9 years of age, Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm, and was awarded NAEYC Accreditation in August of 2012, which was led by our CEO Mary Cutone who acknowledged the need for the YMCA to adopt quality early childhood standards.
Much of the philosophy of the center follows traditional early childhood pedagogy and theory that children learn best through play and thrive when engaged in meaningful and purposeful experiences that promote positive relationships and social interactions. Additionally, the center has an “Outdoor Classroom” designed by Eric Nelson, which encourages the children to manipulate the outdoor environment utilizing moveable parts that align with STEM concepts and encourage creativity.
The majority of the families served represent a mixture of demographics, including single parent homes, mixed ages, lower, middle and upper middle class, etc.
We sought out accreditation in an effort to provide quality early childhood education to the community and improve the center’s principles and practices to align with that of the NAEYC. I would describe both the easiest and hardest part of the accreditation process is continuously being able to listen, reflect and make changes…to improve and do better. It is not easy to identify what you need to improve upon, nor what your greatest strengths are, and NAEYC makes it easy for centers to do just that. The trick is to be creative and seek out resources to help you make improvements, be willing to ask for help and build partnerships that will support you in your efforts.
Our area of greatest improvement would without a doubt be staffing. Creating an environment of leadership and followership is vital in encouraging staff to feel empowered, supported and valued ultimately results in high quality experiences for the children. Turnover rates are lower and teachers begin to feel a sense of belonging to something great that they helped create.
My advice for schools seeking accreditation? Really get to know the criteria and the code of ethics. Once you have a deep rich understanding of what is expected and what your center should encompass, everything else will fall into place. Making changes or improvements will be easier and clearer. Your accreditation should be a way of life, not just something you feel your center has to do to keep it.
Learn it, Live it and Love it! Learn the criteria, Live it and practice it each day and finally…Love it, because that is what defines quality early childhood experiences.”