CSUDH’s Child Development Center joined a rarefied group this school year, when it earned an accreditation that less than 10 percent of preschools and early childhood learning programs across the country have achieved.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) granted that status to the center after a year-long process, in which Program Director Candace Manansala and center staff demonstrated excellence across 10 criteria, ranging from curriculum and qualified teaching staff to nutrition and nurturing positive relationships.

Completing the rigorous review necessary to obtain NAEYC accreditation was worth it, Manansala said, to show the center engages in the best kind of developmentally appropriate practices. “The staff was so hungry to do this and prove that we are providing the highest quality of care.”

The accreditation was only the latest milestone for the center, now in its 50th year. It recently merged with the Infant Toddler Development Center, a separate facility on campus, and began the difficult work of bringing its enrollment back up after the COVID-19 pandemic. About three-fourths of its 65 children are being raised by current CSUDH students; the others are the kids of faculty, staff, and community members.

Manansala plans to grow the center, including developing more partnerships both on and off campus. The center already partners with the LA Galaxy for physical development and the Carson Library for reading, as well as CSUDH departments like music and occupational therapy.

“We have so many opportunities and talent right here on campus,” Manansala says. “I want the center to be a child development magnet, so that we can build these kids up to be future leaders.”

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