Excellence has been rewarded at the ISU Child Care Center, which recently received the Gold Seal Child Care Center Provider Award from the Iowa Department of Human Services. The center is part of the ISU Child Development Laboratory School.

“We were really pleased to learn about the award,” said Maurice MacDonald, professor and chairman of human development and family studies. “It provides a testimonial about the high quality education and programming we have in the child laboratory school.”

The award is given to programs which have been accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, said Joan Herwig, former director of the child development laboratory school.

Herwig, associate professor of human development and family studies, said schools must undergo a three-step process to be accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs.

“First the school must conduct a self study which reviews what its current practices [are], and then it looks at ways to improve its overall practices,” she said. “This is key to the accreditation process.”

Herwig said the school also has a site validation visit by professionals in the field. Professionals look at the site’s self-study conclusions and then create a validation report.

Finally, Herwig said the self-study conclusions and validation report are submitted to the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs for review.

“It is especially pleasing to be singled out as one of the very few programs to receive this award,” MacDonald said. “We believe it will add to our credibility as we provide a model for other similar programs in central Iowa and nationally.”

The lab school will also receive $500 in addition to the award.

“The money will go to purchase children’s books for the children’s library located in the child development laboratory school,” Herwig said.

A recognition ceremony for the award occurred April 12 at the United Way Building in Des Moines.

Herwig was director of the lab school when the award was received and was present at the ceremony to receive and accept the award. She resigned in February 2001 from her position after being lab school director for eight years.

There are 110 children enrolled in the lab school and the children range from 3 years old to 11 years old, she said. The lab school offers five different child care programs to families in Ames and surrounding communities.