As many of you may know, for over a year NAA has been evaluating its role with respect to accreditation of afterschool programs. The desire to advance accreditation in light of increased quality discussions in the field, while simultaneously looking at sustainability issues for NAA, led the NAA Board of Directors to consider a partnership for the delivery of program accreditation. During this process NAA involved colleagues within and outside of the accreditation system and have met multiple times with the Council on Accreditation (COA), which is a leader in the field of accreditation for organizations serving children, youth and families.

Simultaneously, NAA has developed a Strategic Plan that has involved our members, affiliates and other leading national organizations in the afterschool field. During that process it has become clear that our constituents and colleagues see NAA as the leading voice of the afterschool professional community and should continue to be engaged in setting standards for quality – but not necessarily serve as the accountability body through the delivery of a national accreditation system for programs. Based on these discussions and findings, the NAA Board of Directors has made the decision to transfer the process of accreditation of afterschool programs to COA – with NAA serving as an advisor to ensure that the expertise of the field remains connected to the accreditation process.

COA Background
COA is a non-profit organization with a 30 year history of working in the accreditation field. Currently, more than 1800 organizations serving 7 million children, individuals and families of all ages are accredited by COA. The fact that COA is well-regarded is reflected in the fact that the U.S. Department of State recently named it as the sole accreditor of agencies working in the intercountry adoption field. COA’s philosophy is to partner with organizations to use accreditation as a strategy to become stronger in terms of their capacity to provide services of exceptional quality.

COA has an annual budget of more than $10 million and a full time staff of 70. It has more than 1000 volunteers from the field who serve on standards panels, site review teams and accreditation decision committees.

COA has 13 “sponsoring organizations”, including Catholic Charities – USA, Lutheran Services in America, the Association of Jewish Families and Children’s Agencies, the Child Welfare League of America, the Alliance for Children & Families, Children’s Home Society – America and Volunteers of America.

NAA is proud to be working with such a distinguished organization as COA in its quest to continue to promote quality in the afterschool field. In honoring NAA’s commitment to afterschool accreditation and those who have already become nationally accredited, COA will continue to provide the highest quality assessment and service as NAA has provided over the years.

The following details are important items that you need to be aware of.

NAA will transfer its process of accreditation to COA effective September 1, 2008 (the transition) for all new accreditation clients;
For those afterschool programs who have submitted a Letter of Intent prior to September 1, 2008, NAA shall continue the current NAA accreditation process at the current NAA standard rate. The last day Letters of Intent will be accepted is August 31, 2008;
Programs currently accredited by NAA will remain NAA accredited for the original term of accreditation and will continue to submit annual Interim Reports, Statement of Continual Compliance, and the yearly fee to NAA until their accreditation expires;
NAA may independently continue to develop best practice standards;
NAA shall continue to retain the rights, title, use, and ownership of NAA’s materials, related to accreditation or otherwise, and NAA shall use such materials in any manner and any form as decided by NAA;
In consultation with NAA, COA will encourage volunteers who presently participate in the accreditation process as Endorsers and Accreditation Council members to continue their service as COA peer reviewers, team leaders, and standards development panelists;
NAA and COA will establish a task force comprised of members of their respective staff and volunteers to ensure that the transition proceeds in a manner that will optimally serve the best interests of the afterschool field and those served by it.

There is great potential that the field will witness an increase in accredited programs in the field due to COA’s single mission and expertise in accreditation. The sophistication of COA’s systems and services has the potential to provide afterschool programs with an increased level of support during the accreditation process. NAA, in turn, has an opportunity to expand and enhance its technical assistance to members and the field around quality improvement tools and techniques.

Thank you in advance for your support in moving accreditation forward so that it can now reach significantly more programs in the field. We have much to be proud of. If you have any questions, please direct them to Stephanie Brumbeloe at sbrumbeloe@naaweb.org, or visit www.naaweb.org for regular updates.