McDougle Grabs National Accreditation

Williams, director of the school's program -- which serves 100 K-5 students -- said the accreditation should be commonplace.

"It's just an accomplishment that I think everybody should go through," she said.

McDougle received the accreditation from the National School-Age Care Alliance in July.

Williams said the process, which took a year to complete, will enhance the school's program and encourage more parents to send their children.

She said the quality of both the staff and enrichment opportunities attract children and parents alike to the after-school program.

"The children love to come," she said. "They don't want to come home."

She said the staff is largely composed of UNC students and also includes some teacher assistants from the school system.

Kristina Young, director of accreditation for the NSACA, said the organization has accredited 317 programs in the last four years and 28 from North Carolina.

Fort Bragg, Concord, Jefferson and Durham elementary schools were also accredited this year.

"North Carolina's really a leader in terms of the quality of after-school programs," she said.

Accreditation must be renewed every three years, she said.

She said the organization became incorporated in the early 1990s and drafted its accreditation application in 1995.

Young said the schools are judged by 144 standards, which are narrowed down to six main categories: human relationships; safety, health and nutrition; activities; administration; indoor environments; and outdoor environments.

"We're requiring that they're meeting the standards at a basic level," she said.

She said the alliance sends two trained endorsers to the after-school programs to investigate the environment for 24 hours.

The group also examines how the individual programs observe themselves -- focusing on involvement with parents and community members.

Mary Roberts, director of community schools for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, said McDougle's hard work -- with staff support -- has finally paid off.

"They get a lot of support and cooperation from the school's staff," she said. "I think the staff at the after-school program has worked long and hard ... for this accomplishment."

"It's just a happy, fun place for kids to be."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.