UIC Children's Center's high-quality distinctions, shaping excellence in early childhood education. Learn about our NAEYC Accreditation and Quality Awards.
Licensed by Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Heading link
Learn more about DCFS Licensing Standards here
National Association for the Education of Young Children Heading link
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. The Children’s Center was first accredited in 1989 and has maintained its accreditation ever since. Our current five-year term of NAEYC Accreditation is valid through December 2027.
Gold Circle of Quality Heading link
In 2015, the Center was recognized as a Gold Circle of Quality center by ExceleRate Illinois, the statewide early childhood quality rating and improvement system. This system has been designed to rate the quality of early learning programs and to set research based standards for early learning and development providers. There are tiered Circles of Quality in Excelerate and the higher the awarded tier (Bronze-Gold), the more the program has made meaningful improvements. The Center reapplies yearly to maintain the GoldCircle distinction.