UL's Child Development Center has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The accreditation designates the UL center as one of 56 facilities in the state with the accreditation. Nationally, only 11,353 child-care centers, head-starts and kindergartens are accredited.

The accreditation signifies 18 months of work by staff to meet more than 400 criteria the NAEYC requires before certification, said Serena Mandella, director of the center.

"The whole point of accreditation is that we're going to provide a higher standard, a higher quality of care and more meaningful experience for the student based on a set of criteria that is placed on centers across the country," Mandella said.

The NAEYC requires centers to meet criteria ranging from curriculum measures to fostering a child's sense of individual worth and fostering relationships with each child's family.

Three years ago, the center moved into a new facility, which enabled it to expand its programming, Mandella said. For the NAEYC accreditation, the center had to wait a year before beginning the process because they were in a new building.

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Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com