Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool Earns National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation
Impressive Achievement puts preschool in top 25 in the state
February 5, 2018
Baton Rouge, LA -- The Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool’s (ECELP) commitment to excellence was recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as the program has received national accreditation. The LSU ECELP is one of only 25 preschools in the state of Louisiana to achieve this recognition.
“We are so excited to have received this honor,” said ECELP director, Angela Barnes. “The hard work and dedication of our teachers, administrators, and faculty are a huge part of what makes our preschool such a unique place for children to grow and learn.”
NAEYC is a national organization dedicated to ensuring young children thrive and learn in environments that promote holistic development. It is also the organization that awards national recognition to preparation programs for early childhood teachers, including the PK3 program in the School of Education. Both accreditations require significant input from administrators, faculty, staff, families and community members.
Before the early childhood program accreditation process can begin every program must undergo self-reflection to determine their program’s strengths and challenges, develop improvement plans, and evaluate results to determine next steps as an institution. The programs must demonstrate how they meet standards in 10 areas including among others relationships with the children and their families, strength of curriculum, staff qualifications, and physical environment.
The ECELP is a Reggio Emilio-inspired early childhood program. The program’s philosophy is focused on exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interest of the children through a self-guided curriculum.
Students in LSU’s early childhood teacher preparation and graduate programs also benefit through the unique opportunities the ECELP presents as an integral part of the School of Education. Teacher candidates get hands-on experience in their pursuit of undergraduate and graduate education. Students from all majors are also welcomed to volunteer or assist research faculty at the preschool in a myriad of ways. Volunteers and projects range from education students helping in the classroom to agriculture students installing the on-site garden and kinesiology students providing enrichment physical activities.
“Our vision is to serve as a model demonstration,” said ECELP executive director and LSU professor, Cynthia DiCarlo. “Our recent accreditation demonstrates that both children at the ECELP and our early childhood education students are learning in a high-quality environment”.
Participate in the university’s partnership with ECELP.
About SOE
The LSU School of Education (SOE) offers graduate and undergraduate programs in Curriculum
and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Research, and Counseling, including two
completely online master’s programs. SOE offers a range of professional and academic
degree programs that focus on preparing students for careers in education, research,
policy formation and implementation, as well as program oversight. The School’s mission
is to prepare P-12 educational professionals to be leaders, practitioners, and scholars
knowledgeable in contemporary educational issues. SOE is part of the College of Human
Sciences & Education.
Visit the School of Education at lsu.edu/chse/education.
About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division
of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education,
the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development,
the School of Library & Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University
Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs, 18
graduate programs, and 7 online graduate degree and/or certificate programs, enrolling
more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,120 graduate students. The College is committed
to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed
to improving quality of life across the lifespan.
Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education at lsu.edu/chse.