Development center directors honored for centers’ reaccreditation Published Sept. 10, 2010 By Kimberly L. Wright Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- 42nd Air Base Wing Commander Col. Brian Killough and 42nd Mission Support Group Commander Col. Chris Bargery surprised and honored Alline Russell, Maxwell Child Development Center director, and Jonnie Clark, Gunter Child Development Center director, with a coin presentation in recognition of the child development centers' reaccreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Colonel Bargery commented that the recognition is just a piece of the larger picture. "The acknowledgement celebrates the evolution of the military child care," said Col. Bargery, noting that accreditation of military child development centers is one of the requirements of the Military Child Care Act of 1989, which improved the quality, accessibility and affordability of child care for all servicemembers. In order for the centers to renew their accreditation, they had to meet the NAEYC's 10 standards and 412 criteria, determined via a combination of self-assessment, documentation and visits by the accreditation agency. The standards govern positive relationships between children and adults, curriculum, teaching, assessment of child progress, health, teachers, families, community relationships, physical environment and leadership and management. "The key to it all is getting the candidacy package together, which means securing the parents surveys, the staff surveys," said T. Bonita Jones, chief of Airman and Family Services Flight. "We're a child development center, not a day care. It all goes back to the developmentally appropriate things we do every day for the children." The Maxwell Child Development Center serves 200 children, and the Gunter Child Development Center serves 121. Ms. Jones commended the team effort that made the reaccreditation possible. "It wasn't a Gunter thing," she said. "It wasn't a Maxwell thing. We came back and forth and helped each other out. ... We work together, hand in hand, to ensure the criterion is met." According to the NAEYC website, the accreditation is good for five years. An accredited agency must also demonstrate continued compliance to the 10 program standards and submit to random unannounced visits. The success of the child development centers has a direct influence on the mission readiness of the entire base, said Colonel Killough. "If the parents aren't comfortable with where their kids are, their minds are not on their jobs," he noted. He also commended the directors for helping create great programs that inspire loyal employees who stay for long periods of time, such as the 19 employees honored in May for their more than 20 years of service. "It also explains why, when you get people to come in and work here, they come in and stay because they love it, and it's because of the environment," he said.