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NEWS
RELEASE
August
25, 2005
Area
Daycare Exceeds Standards for Fourteen
Consecutive Years
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HoneyTree
Early Learning Centers (HoneyTree ELC), a leading
childcare provider in the
Roanoke
Valley
for 25 years, announces the renewal of National
Accreditation for four of its nine Centers.
Renewal of three (3) additional locations
is pending the completion of external audits
scheduled in the next few months. This completes
the fourteenth
(14th) consecutive year of
accreditation by the National Early Childhood
Program (NECPA
HoneyTree is not only state licensed for child
care, they meet the more rigorous standards of
ACCREDITATION established and monitored by the (NECPA),
an independent third party professional
association. Of
the 70-some full-time and church-sponsored centers
for child care in the Valley, only 26
are licensed and audited by the state once a year.
HoneyTree ELC is the only open-enrollment center
that is accredited by the NECPA and serves
USDA-approved menus. They care for nearly 1300
children each day.
HoneyTree’s
newest center, called Riverwalk (adjacent to
Carilion
Roanoke
Memorial
Hospital
), is on-track for certification by National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Accreditation began in February 2005 and
HoneyTree ELC anticipates completing the
requirements for accreditation in March of 2006.
In May 2005 Governor Warner announced at his Early
Childhood Summit an initiative to have all
licensed child care accredited by 2007.
HoneyTree has clearly been a visionary and
a pacesetter in this area which gives families
added security that during the formative years
their children will learn in a safe and enriching
environment. |
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“We
care for nearly 1300 children each day and invest
between $11,500 and $15,000 a
year in accreditation,” explains CEO Tina
Kit
chens. “Our owner understood the value quite a
few years ago and made accreditation a priority.
We have one staff person with a degree in Early
Childhood Development that focuses on licensing
and accreditation.”
Another
way the accreditation has shaped HoneyTree’s
practices is that ninety (90%) of their staff is
trained in first aid and fifty-percent (50%) in
child CPR so that in each 12-hour day at a Center
each shift has at least one person qualified in
this area.
The State only requires 10 hours of
continuing education (CEUs) right now.
In 2006, the CEU requirement will increase
to 12 hours per employee, Through NECPA
accreditation HoneyTree employees presently
complete 25-30 CEUs, in addition to their first
aid/CPR certifications—twice the requirement by
the Commonwealth.
In
addition, HoneyTree employees earn their CDA
(Child Development Associate) designation through
classroom experience and the CEU requirements of
accreditation. While HoneyTree encourages and
administers the CDA training, the designation is
granted by the Council for Professional
Recognition.
HoneyTree's mission is to be a support system for
families, celebrate and
appreciate children and create an environment
where staff and parents together provide
all the pieces for a happy, healthy childhood.
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Administration Offices
540-344-4543
Email: info@honeytreeelc.com
2619 Belle Avenue
Roanoke, Virginia 24012-6613
Copyright © 2006-2008 Honeytree
Early Learning Centers. All rights reserved.
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