MELC has always made it their mission to provide quality early childhood education and school age programs to all children since it began over 45 years ago. In recent months, that quality has been made especially apparent as national organizations have awarded multiple centers high quality designations. MELC’s Norristown Center and Families First center in Philadelphia have both received Keystone STARS’ highest ranking as 4 star centers. They join MELC’s Infant Friendship Center, located in University City, who has previously earned this quality marker.

MELC’s school age programs in Lower Merion, Jenkitown and Colonial School Districts were also awarded accreditation by the new school age program national governing body, The Council On Accreditation (COA). In addition to the COA accredited Belmont Hills, Jenkintown, and Plymouth Centers, the Ridge Park, Whitemarsh, Conshohocken, and Cynwyd centers have also been nationally accredited by the National Afterschool Association (NAA), giving MELC the highest number of accredited school age programs in the entire state.

With all MELC centers at a Keystone STARS level 3 or above, now more than ever MELC is able to provide its students with the highest quality education. Our staff members have also received accolades for their commitment to quality programming at MELC. At the Pennsylvania Southeastern Regional Key’s Keystone STARS awards, Cheryl Hertneck of Jenkintown was named Director of the Year, and Rai Son, also of Jenkintown, was named School Age Practitioner of the Year. In early childhood, the Norristown Center’s Kate Burton was awarded Teacher of the Year for Montgomery County.

MELC's Belmont Hills, Jenkintown and Plymouth Centers have been accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA’s commitment to maintaining the highest level of standards and quality improvement is designed to identify providers that have set high performance standards for themselves and have made a commitment to their constituents to deliver the highest quality services. COA is proud to recognize Montgomery Early Learning Centers-Belmont Hills,  Jenkintown and Plymouth as three of these outstanding providers.

COA accreditation is an objective and reliable verification that provides confidence and support to an after school program’s children and youth, parents, staff and community partners. The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of both a program’s administrative operations and its service delivery practices. All are “measured” against national standards of best practice. These standards emphasize services that are accessible, appropriate, culturally responsive, evidence based, and outcomes-oriented, In addition, they confirm that the services are provided by a skilled and supported workforce and that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.

COA congratulates Montgomery Early Learning Centers for their hard work and wonderful achievement and is proud to have it as part of COA’s Community of Excellence.

Founded in 1977, COA is an independent not-for-profit international accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and human service organizations. Today, over 1800 organizations—public and private—are either COA accredited or are in the process of seeking accreditation. These organizations serve over 7 million of our most vulnerable individuals each year!

The Southeastern Pennsylvania School Age Child Care Project (SEPA SACC) is set to launch an innovative initiative called Effective Climates in School Age Programming funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.  Pew’s three-year grant will provide 20 school age programs in the region with free, hands-on support to directors, practitioners and students. Effective Climates in School Age Programming challenges the punitive and reactive approaches to discipline with an alternative positive behavior approach that recognizes the broader set of variables (environment, relationships, interactions, expectations, etc.) that can affect behaviors.

This pilot project identifies the dos and don’ts for fostering social competence, for the teacher’s role in developing social skills, and for developing behavior modifications and anger management strategies. Using adult education principles, the pilot project will target the problem of challenging and disruptive behaviors through the use of the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) pyramid model which addresses the universal, classroom, and individual needs of staff, children and families.

Programs will receive professional development and technical assistance to implement the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) Curriculum, which aims to stimulate children’s strength and resiliency by facilitating the development of self-control, positive self-esteem, emotional awareness, and interpersonal skills.

Montgomery Early Learning Centers is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1963 whose mission is to develop, provide and advance accessible, high quality early childhood education and school age programs. MELC has early childhood centers in Pottstown, Norristown, Narberth, and two centers in West Philadelphia. These centers provide early learning care for children from 6 weeks through 5 years of age. MELC serves over 600 children each year. MELC’s school age programs serve over 675 children ages 5 to 12 years at 15 sites in Montgomery and Delaware Counties. In addition to direct service programs, MELC also sponsors the Southeastern Pennsylvania School Age Child Care Project (SEPASACC), and the Montgomery County Child Care Consortium (MC4). Each provides a range of professional development, technical assistance, research and other services for educators and organizations serving the field throughout Montgomery County and Southeastern Pennsylvania.

The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.org) is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and stimulate civic life. We partner with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share our commitment to fact-based solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society.