Quality matters at the Office of Early Childhood. We use these national standards to define high quality
- Accreditation+ from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- Accreditation from the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
- Head Start and Early Head Start approval
Accreditation is required for OEC funding from Early Start CT and Smart Start. Accredited Care 4 Kids providers receive additional money. Learn more about the benefits of accreditation.
Pursue Program Accreditation
Accreditation Quality Improvement Supports and Staffed Family Child Care Networks help programs move toward accreditation.
Elevate Program Plans Show Quality Improvement
If your program is not yet accredited, consider creating an Elevate Program Plan. Your plan outlines how to improve your program — how to get it from where it is today to where you want to be.
Programs with approved Plans are at the Member+ level in Elevate. Elevate is CT’s quality improvement system. Learn more about Elevate.
Small Steps Toward High Quality
As a business owner, the professional Registry can be a great tool for you to support your staff with PD opportunities, track their career progress, and access scholarship assistance. Connect to the Registry here.
Are you looking for some professional development for you and/or your staff? OEC has a Professional Development webpage for you. Check out these Professional Development opportunities.
Women’s Business Development Council: WBDC offers comprehensive business development services to help home- and center-based providers launch, sustain, and grow their businesses. Access training, advising, and grants.