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A SPICE 2004 Program
Early Childhood Accreditation Program
Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago, Office of Catholic Schools Early Childhood Accreditation Program began as part of an exciting initiative funded by the McCormick Tribune Foundation of Chicago in 1994, called Focus on Quality.
During the 1990s, growing research on brain development made possible by advances in medical technology was significantly impacting the science of early childhood education. At the same time, research in school readiness was providing evidence that healthy social-emotional development, particularly strong, positive early relationships, lay the foundation for all later growth and development. Studies from the field of early childhood were also proving that high quality programs could positively impact the development of poor, at-risk children not only immediately, but also long term.
All of this compelling evidence convinced the McCormick Tribune Foundation to shift the entire focus of its education program from higher to early education, where the investment would produce the greatest possible return over the course of a child’s educational lifetime. The mission of the MTF’s education program became “to promote high quality early care and education for children in Chicago’s low-income communities.” The Focus on Quality initiative was launched and NAEYC accreditation became one of the goals to improve quality in early childhood programs.
Complementing the McCormick Tribune Foundation’s mission was that of The Big Shoulders Fund. Formed in 1986 by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin with a group of Chicago’s prominent business, professional and financial leaders, the Fund is a private, 501c3 nonprofit entity that receives and channels private contributions exclusively to inner-city Catholic schools. The mission of the Big Shoulders Fund is "to provide support to the Catholic schools in the neediest areas of inner-city Chicago."
The Office of Catholic Schools, through the Big Shoulders Fund, became one of 16 grantees of McCormick Tribune Foundation’s Focus on Quality initiative and a partnership was established that still exist today. The generous funding, over $3 million to date, provided to the Big Shoulders schools from the McCormick Tribune Foundation has enabled over 75 inner-city Catholic schools to achieve the level of excellence necessary to become NAEYC accredited.
This is accomplished through the Early Childhood Accreditation Program which uses the funding to provide:
- Early childhood consultants, assigned to schools as Accreditation Facilitators, who make regular on-site visits
- Equipment and materials for preschool and kindergarten classrooms
- Payment of NAEYC fees
- Monthly professional development, including First Aid/CPR training, for teachers and aides
- Educational materials (books, videos, brochures, etc.)
- Celebrations and recognition for accomplishments
- Special programs such as the StoryBus (a literacy program on wheels)
The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Catholic school system has more NAEYC accredited early childhood programs than any other private school system in the nation. Accredited early childhood programs have become "ambassadors" for the school system, bringing recognition and reinforcement of the high standards of Catholic education. Accreditation has proven to be a powerful program improvement tool, raising the level of quality of Catholic school early childhood programs and making them among the best in the city of Chicago. Over 1/4 of all NAEYC accredited early childhood programs in the city of Chicago are in Catholic schools!
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