Staff Photo by Allison Kwesell Asziauna Berry, 4, right, pretends to make coffee at Human Services Childcare. The Chattanooga Human Services Program has earned its accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals.

Low-income families now have a child-care option on par with some of the best programs in the nation, officials said Friday.

The Chattanooga Human Services Department is one of six child-care sites in Hamilton County to earn accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Earning the distinction required program leaders to show association officials that the program had a quality curriculum and nutrition program as well as professional development and training for teachers.

“National accreditation is far beyond the state standards,” said Beverly McKeldin, the site’s child-care manager. “It means your vision has to be long range because it has to be sustained. You are re-evaluated every three years.”

During a news conference Friday, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield congratulated the students and staff.

“This means you are some of the best of the best. You are our future leaders and the people who will help make the future of our city great,” he said to about 40 toddlers as they hit pastel-colored balloons around the room.

The department’s child-care program is for children up to age 12 and includes a prekindergarten program, a Head Start class, day care and school-age care.

Ms. McKeldin, who has been with the program for more than 20 years, said she felt it was important to earn the accreditation to offer quality education to all children.

“We want to provide quality care to our children, and we want to make certain income is not an inhibitor,” she said.

During the yearlong accreditation process, staff members had to show lots of paperwork to prove they were offering a high-quality program, Head Start teacher Pam Trammell said.

“I feel like we earned what we got,” she said.