Accreditations & Licensing

The Standards We Hold Ourselves To

Licensing, accreditation, and the bar we set for every child

The Promise

What Makes Our Schools Special

Every one of our schools meets state licensing requirements, but we believe great early education goes beyond meeting standards. Our commitment is to provide a safe, nurturing environment where children can learn, grow, and thrive. That belief guides everything we do.

GOING FURTHER

Accreditations and Quality Programs

Licensing provides an important foundation, and many of our schools choose to build on it through additional accreditations and quality initiatives. These programs often focus on areas such as curriculum, teacher development, and family engagement. Because each school is unique, your director can share details about the programs and recognitions offered at your location.

Standards are a Daily Practice

A standard only matters if it holds on an ordinary Tuesday. Here's how ours do.

Inspected and Accountable

Regular reviews help ensure our schools maintain high standards, and we welcome them because outside accountability is good for children.

Trained Beyond Minimum

Teachers complete required training each year, plus ongoing professional development, so growth doesn't stop at the requirement.

Curriculum Consistently Delivered

Our school curriculum guides classrooms across our family of schools, so quality of learning doesn't depend on which school you choose.

A Team Watching the Details

Behind every school, a dedicated support team works on training, resources, and quality, catching the small things before they become big ones.

How to Choose a School

Choosing care is a big decision. Here's how families usually find their fit.

Start With Your Priorities

Start with your family's needs: location, hours, ages, and the feel you want when you walk in the door. Knowing your priorities makes every other step easier.

Learn About The School

Explore programs, meet the director, and ask your questions, from daily routines to how teachers communicate. Good schools love the questions; they mean you care.

Come See It for Yourself

Nothing beats a visit. Schedule a tour, watch the classrooms in action, and trust what you see and feel. That gut feeling at drop-off matters.

Why Our Families Trust Us

"Ashely and Kelsee are wonderful! The communication about events and other center matters has been excellent. Our son’s teachers have been very good and they are all very kind. I’ve noticed some teachers post pics on the app more that others. I really appreciate getting the pictures when I’m at working during the day. But I realize that caring for babies is challenging and it’s not possible every day, which is okay. I just hope the teachers know how much the picture mean to us as parents. The other thing I’ve noticed more recently is it seems like there have been a lot of different teachers in my son’s room, all have been nice and I don’t have any concerns with any of them. However, overall, it makes me hesitant that he is getting consistent care and treatment since each teacher is a different individual and they do things differently (which is okay!). I understand having multiple teachers for a single room but over the last week I’ve seen a new teacher in his room every day, either at drop off in the morning or at pickup in the evening. I’m also just seeing a lot of new teachers that I haven’t seen before. It might be good to communicate to parents which teachers are on the list for caring for children in a specific room, we want to know who is taking care of our kids. It’s about more to us than simply if the room is covered and if the ratios are in compliance. We want to know the people on a basic level as well, that provides us comfort and helps us gain the trust that’s so important when we drop our kids off every day. Overall I’d highly recommend Little Hawks and I’m glad I chose this facility for our son when we moved to the area."

"We chose Little Hawks for our son because of the location and Christian values it keeps. He loves getting to go to “his school” because his big sister goes to school. Even though he can be shy in the morning, I always pick him up and he wants to keep playing and show me what they’ve done! He comes home singing fun songs they have learned and talks about the experiments they’ve done in class. His teachers Miss Ashely and Miss Jessica have so much love and patience for their students and have a good balance of love with boundaries that little ones are still learning. They both have made a huge positive impact on our son’s preschool years!"

Common Questions

Everything You Need to Know

What does "licensed" actually mean?

It means the state has verified the school meets its standards for ratios, safety, staff screening and training, and daily operations, and continues to check. Licensing is enforceable: schools that fall short face real consequences, which is exactly why it matters.

Do all of your schools follow the same standards?

State requirements vary a little from state to state, but our expectations don't. Every school in our family follows the same approach to learning, the same safety practices, and the same commitment to trained, background-checked teachers.

How do I know what quality looks like when I visit?

Watch the classrooms: engaged children, attentive teachers, clean and secure spaces, and a rhythm everyone seems to know. Our guide to choosing a school walks through exactly what to look for, and every question worth asking on a tour.

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