The Edison State College Child Care Center has earned accreditation from the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC) for outstanding early childhood programs which meet national standards of quality.

The center, operated by Child Care of Southwest Florida Inc., is located on the Fort Myers campus of Edison State College and is licensed to care for 139 children from ages 1 to 5. Child Care of SWF also operates the Community Children’s Center in Lehigh Acres.

The child care center is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Accreditation is not meant to replace parents’ on-site visits to centers as a means of selecting the program that best meets their child’s needs,” said Center Director Martha Kebhart, “but accreditation does help parents recognize the varied components that should be present in a quality program.”

To become accredited, the Edison State College Child Care Center had to meet a variety of strict criteria related to providing a developmentally appropriate program for pre-school children. These criteria range from providing a program that exceeds state licensing requirements to providing professional development opportunities for staff, as well as parental involvement.

Accreditation includes an on-site study of the program by an early childhood professional followed by a final assessment of the center by commissioners from the National Accreditation Commission For Early Care and Education Programs.

Beth Lobdell, is the CEO of Child Care of Southwest Florida.

The Edison State College Child Care Center is among seven child care centers operated by Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc. The private non-profit organization provides high quality child care services throughout Southwest Florida from infancy through age 12. In addition to providing child care, Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc., conducts and coordinates training for child care workers, and administers the federal Child Care Food Program for child care centers and family child care homes.

For more information about the Edison State College Child Care Center, call 267-1136 or visit www.ccswfl.org/edisonc4.