Stonington COMO’s Doris Muller Preschool Earns Continued NAEYC Accreditation

The Stonington Community Center (COMO)’s Doris Muller Preschool located in Stonington, CT has earned continued accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) — the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children.

NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments. 

“The COMO team has demonstrated great dedication and commitment to our community and the families that we serve through the rigorous process of continued NAEYC accreditation. We are extremely proud to be able to offer a preschool program that meets the highest level of early childhood standards for children’s long-term success.” said Beth-Ann Stewart, COMO Executive Director.

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, the Stonington Community Center’s program went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years.

In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 6,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.

“NAEYC-Accredited programs have committed to a process that takes time, energy and dedication to complete” states Alissa Mwenelupembe, Senior Director Early Learning Program Accreditation. “The Doris Muller Preschool at the COMO has demonstrated their commitment to young children and their families.”

The Doris Muller Preschool at the Stonington Community Center offers morning and full-day preschool with before and after care options. It has been accredited since 2018.

For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit the NAEYC website. 

For more information or to get on the preschool waitlist, visit thecomo.org/ourpreschool or call the COMO at 860.535.2476.