The Goddard School on St. Florian Drive in Waldorf recently was awarded the National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation.

Since 1985, NAEYC has offered a national, voluntary accreditation system to set professional standards for early childhood education programs and to help families identify high-quality programs. Eight percent of preschools and early childhood programs achieve this recognition, the school announced in a news release.

“We’re proud to earn the mark of quality from NAEYC and be recognized for our commitment to reach the highest professional standards,” said Akhil Govil, owner of the Waldorf school, in the release. “NAEYC Accreditation demonstrates to our community that children in our program receive the best possible care and early learning experiences. Our management and faculty have earned this achievement by performing their very best every day.”

In September 2006, NAEYC’s program standards and criteria were revised to introduce a new level of quality, accountability and service for parents and children to reflect the latest research and best practices in child care programs.

To earn accreditation, school voluntarily went through a self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related Accreditation Criteria.

The school’s program received NAEYC Accreditation after an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to ensure that the program meets each of the program standards. NAEYC-accredited programs are also subject to unannounced visits during the accreditation, which lasts for five years.