WKCTC'S Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education Program Earns First-Time Accreditation

One of Only Two Accredited Associate Degree IECE Programs in State

MEDIA RELEASE - Paducah, KY (08/07/2017) — West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) program was recently granted accreditation for the first time from the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs.

Out of the current 181 accredited associate degree programs in 35 states, WKCTC and Henderson Community College are the only two associate degree programs in Kentucky accredited by NAEYC.

"Earning accreditation is both an honor and a professional challenge that I am proud to have accomplished for the early childhood program," said Greta Henry, West Kentucky's IECE program coordinator. "The evaluation of the early childhood program by NAEYC signals a strong commitment from the department and college in providing high quality preparation to current and future early childhood professionals," said Henry.

NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation involves an in-depth review of early childhood higher education programs, beginning with submission of an application to confirm eligibility.

Eligible programs engage in a one to two-year self-study to reflect on the program's strengths and areas for improvement, collect data, and implement changes. Results are documented in the program's Self-Study Report, which is reviewed by a team of Peer Reviewers prior to a three-day on-site visit. The team compiles a detailed report to present to the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs, the decision-making body that makes the final accreditation decision.

The NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation system raises the quality of teacher education by establishing professional preparation standards, which in turn raises the quality of early learning programs serving young children.

To earn and retain accreditation, the IECE professional preparation program must demonstrate compliance with the following:

• Align to NAEYC's Professional Preparation Standards
• Respond to the unique needs of their degree candidates and communities
• Provide intentional learning experiences for their degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective early childhood educators
• Continuously assess and reflect on their degree candidates' performance

"The accreditation process, and our subsequent accreditation, was a team effort with many of my colleagues, administration, early childhood students and community stakeholders," said Henry. "I am thankful to be a part of the innovative excellence in education promoted at WKCTC."

For more information on the college's IECE program, contact Greta Henry at (270) 534-3087 or GHENRY0003@kctcs.edu.

Registration for fall classes at WKCTC is currently underway. Call 1-(855) GO-WKCTC or visit westkentucky.kctcs.edu for class offerings. Fall classes begin August 14.

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West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) has been recognized four-consecutive times by The Aspen Institute as one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation for providing students with strong job training and continuing higher education opportunity, for achieving high completion and transfer rates, and for providing strong employment results for its graduates.

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