Quality Improvement & Best Practices

The quality of care that children receive between birth and age 5 sets the stage for the rest of their lives. With that in mind, we want to help Westchester's child care professionals provide the very best care possible, and we do that in a variety of ways:

Technical Assistance and Quality Improvement Support
The Child Care Council provides a range of technical assistance services to current or prospective child care providers to help with a wide variety of topics. Learn more about Technical Assistance and Quality Improvement Support.

Accreditation
Beyond the basic regulations established by the New York State Office for Children and Family Services, accreditation by a national organization requires child care providers to meet a higher level of standards. The Child Care Council encourages all programs to pursue accreditation as one method of improving care.

pdfSee a list of accredited programs in Westchester

The following organizations offer accreditation based on national quality standards:

external link icon The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)


external link icon National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)


external link icon AfterSchool Works! New York


external link icon Council on Accreditation (COA)


external link icon American Camping Association (ACA)


Professional Credentials

Child Development Associate (CDA)


external link icon Infant and Toddler Care and Education Credential


external link icon Children's Program Administrator Credential


external link icon Early Care and Education Trainer's Credential


external link icon Family Child Care Credential


external link icon School Age Child Care Credential


external link icon Family Development Credential


pdfSee information on the CDA and various other credentials for child care professionals.


A Degree in Early Childhood Education
Several colleges and universities in our area offer degrees in Early Childhood Education:

external link icon Westchester Community College


external link icon Lehman College


external link icon Fordham University


external link icon Manhattanville College


external link icon Mercy College


external link icon Monroe College


external link icon SUNY Purchase


external link icon College of New Rochelle


external link icon Empire State College


Directors and Provider Network Meetings
Share best practices with other Westchester child care program directors and providers.

Westchester Early Childhood Directors Association Meetings:
The Network meets every third Tuesday of the month from 1 PM-3 PM at the Child Care Council office. Contact Howard Milbert at Ossining Children's Center at (914) 941-0230 or Dawn Meyerski at Mt. Kisco Child Care Center at (914) 241-2135 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.

School Age Directors Network (SADN):
The Network meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 10:00am-12:00pm. Contact Joanne Saporta at Chappaqua Childrens Workshop at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Kim DeSalvo at Ardsley Children's Center at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. more details.

Providers Network:
This group for registered family and licensed group family providers meets 4 times a year. For information about the network, contact Sarah Merrifield, CCCW Infant Toddler Specialist at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 914-761-3456 ext. 107.

Conferences
Attending a conference can be a great opportunity to learn from and network with peers from across the county, state or country.

National Conferences:

external link icon NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo


external link icon North American Reggio Emilia Alliance Summer Conference


external link icon NAEYC – Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development


New York State Conferences:

external link icon WAEYC Conference


external link icon Annual National Afterschool Association Convention


external link icon New York State Association for the Education of Young Children

Connect

Contact Us

Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc.

313 Central Park Avenue
Scarsdale, New York 10583

Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Child Care Specialists extended hours are available on Tuesdays until 7pm to help you make an informed decision about child care.

Phone: (914) 761-3456
Toll-Free: 1 (844) 387-7525

Fax: (914) 761-1957

Email us

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