Honolulu Community College's Keiki Hauoli Children's Center recently became one of the first early-childhood education programs in the country to be accredited under new professional standards.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children evaluated the HCC program, using more than 400 criteria in 13 areas. The accreditation is for five years from Jan. 1, 2008.

The center's accreditation was based in part on scores against 10 standards of excellence in early-childhood education.

Programs seeking accreditation must also complete a self-assessment and meet fundamental licensing, staffing, health and safety requirements. The final step is an on-site visitation by NAEYC assessors. Subsequent unannounced visits ensure that programs continue to meet NAEYC standards.

The new standards were set by a national commission of experts in early-childhood education, curriculum, early-childhood special education, child health, family involvement, leadership and program administration. The new accreditation process took five years to design and implement.