Carey Services Open House will Celebrate New Accreditations

Marion, IN – As part of the celebration of Carey Services’ Early Head Start program receiving two major accreditations, the agency will conduct a program open house from 5-7 p.m. on June 28.
 
The Early Head Start locations in Marion and Hartford City recently received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s leading organization of high-quality early childhood professionals and programming. It also has achieved Paths to Quality Level 4, which is Indiana’s top quality rating for childhood programs.
 
The open house will provide tours of the agency’s Early Head Start Marion facility and also provide opportunities to meet program managers, teachers, home visitors and families. The program is in Building A on the agency’s campus at 2724 S. Carey St.
 
To earn the five-year NAEYC accreditation, Carey Services’ Early Head Start completed a voluntary, extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against 10 NAEYC early childhood program standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. The program also successfully completed an on-site visit from NAEYC assessors.
One of the requirements for a Level 4 Paths to Quality certification is completing a nationally recognized accreditation. After officially receiving the NAEYC accreditation, the agency was able to complete the Paths to Quality Level 4 process.
 
“We’re proud to have earned the mark of quality from NAEYC and to achieve Level 4 status and to be recognized for our commitment to this community and the children as we reach the highest professional standards for early childhood education,” said Cathy Queen, director of Early Head Start at Carey Services. “NAEYC accreditation and the Level 4 designation lets families in our community know children in our high-quality program have teachers who create engaging classrooms, enhance relationships with their parents and families, and develop rich experiences for their students to assure they are school ready for Grant and Blackford County schools.”
 
Carey Services serves 48 children ages 6 weeks-3 years and their families in classroom settings in Grant and Blackford counties, as well as 82 children ages 0-3 and families in home-based programming. The agency has operated the Early Head Start program since 1998.
“It’s a rigorous process to achieve these two prestigious certifications,” said Jim Allbaugh, president and CEO for Carey Services. “Carey Services is focused on assuring optimal brain development is achieved in the first few years of life to set a child’s path for success in school and in life.”
Carey Services is the premier local provider of home and community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Carey Services envisions all people, regardless of their abilities or barriers, as empowered and equally valued members of the community. Carey Services is an accredited, community based, not-for-profit agency providing an array of services to people with disabilities and other low income individuals and families.
 
Carey Services serves as the Arc Chapter for Grant and Blackford Counties and as a United Way organization. Supports and services are determined through person-centered planning, where consumers and their families direct the planning and allocation of resources to meet their individual life goals.  Call 765-668-8961 or visit their new website at www.careyservices.com for more information, to donate, and to seek employment opportunities.  Individuals can also visit the Carey Services Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Careyservices