Early childhood academy serving families in need receives accreditation

Teacher Genieve Edmead is with her student, Giana, at the Childhood Development Academy in Roswell. Courtesy Childhood Development Academy

Credit: Courtesy Childhood Development Academy

Credit: Courtesy Childhood Development Academy

Teacher Genieve Edmead is with her student, Giana, at the Childhood Development Academy in Roswell. Courtesy Childhood Development Academy

The Children’s Development Academy in Roswell has been recognized for providing high-quality education. The nonprofit recently received a 5-year accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The academy serves as many as 200 children per year, ages 1-5 and living in low-income working families.

The accreditation is a rigorous and comprehensive process that involves a thorough review of the center’s policies, practices, and programs by early childhood education experts, according to a press release.

The academy says they have been reviewed for the accreditation every five years since 2008 and achieved the recognition.

“We are thrilled to receive the National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation, which reflects our dedication to providing the best possible education experience to children whose families otherwise couldn’t afford it,” said Maggie DeCan, CEO and executive director of the early childhood academy. “We are honored to be one of only four percent of childcare centers in Georgia to receive this accreditation.”

The Children’s Development Academy was founded in 1968 by a local group of volunteers, according to the nonprofit, and grew from a home basement to a church to the community center that opened on Grove Way in 1976.