Joyce Marshall
Lena Pope’s Early Learning Center
Lena Pope Early Learning Center
Lena Pope’s Early Learning Center is being recognized among the top 2% of child care centers in Texas and top 10% in the U.S., thanks to a newly earned accreditation.
The learning center at 3200 Sanguinet St., which serves children ages six weeks to five years, has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) — one of the world's largest organizations that supports early childhood education.
This means that the Lena Pope Early Learning Center has passed NAEYC's extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, which is based on 10 program standards and includes an on-site visit by a NAEYC assessor. Lena Pope must also be prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during its accreditation term, which lasts for five years.
According to Lena Pope, only 7,000 programs nationwide are currently accredited by NAEYC, with less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally — and less than 2% in all of Texas — achieving this recognition.
“We’re proud to be recognized by NAEYC for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” Jennifer Carpenter, director of early learning programs at Lena Pope, said in a statement. “We have worked extremely hard to achieve this mark of quality, ultimately to benefit the children we serve. Our students’ development and growth are our highest priority.”
Lena Pope currently operates two Early Learning Centers; the other is located at the campus of UNT Health Science Center. That location is also pursuing accreditation from NAEYC and is in the early stages of the self-study process.
Both Early Learning Centers serve a total of 188 children, providing full-day and full-year care for families of all backgrounds. According to Lena Pope, up to 40% of available slots are reserved for families who qualify for financial assistance through child care subsidies or sliding scale tuition fees.
“NAEYC-Accredited programs bring our definitions of excellence for early childhood education to life each day,” Kristen Johnson, senior director of Early Learning Program Accreditation at NAEYC, said in a statement. “Earning NAEYC Accreditation makes Lena Pope Early Learning Center an exemplar of good practice for families and the entire community.”
