Gold Seal Accreditation

In 1996, the Florida Legislature established the Gold Seal Quality Care program to acknowledge child care facilities and family day care homes that are accredited by nationally recognized agencies and whose standards reflect quality in the level of care and supervision provided to children. In addition, the Legislature established provisions for Gold Seal providers participating in the subsidized child care program (a.k.a. school readiness and early learning) to receive a higher reimbursement per child than providers not receiving a Gold Seal designation.

On April 10, 2024 The FCCPSA received its renewal certification for the Florida Gold Seal Quality Care Program Accreditation Standards. The FCCPSA received an overall score of 96.3%. Attached is the certification notices from the Florida Department of Education.

Florida Golad Seal Quality Care Program Certification Letter.

Accreditation as a Gold Seal Quality Care program demonstrates a level of educational professionalism and committment to quality standards that surpass the broad benchmarks of health and safety. These programs go beyond the required standards that all Child Care Facilities must comply with as they continue to pursue excellence. The FCCPSA joins with the Child Care Program with an in depth Self-Study program based on established national standards, combined with a detailed inspection process that will guide the center to meeting the high standards necessary to become a Gold Seal Quality Care program.

The Gold Seal Accreditation Application
The Gold Seal Accreditation Application is the first step in becoming a Gold Seal Quality Care Program provider. Once this application has been completed, and the fees paid, you will receive a User Name and Password and be enrolled in the FCCPSA Gold Seal Self Study Manual/Online Course. Upon satisfactory completion of the course and the payment of the appropriate fees, a Level II Inspection will be scheduled. Once you have achieved Gold Seal accreditation, you will be required to file an annual report to the FCCPSA, and pass a Gold Seal Accreditation renewal inspection every three years.

Qualifications required to begin the Gold Seal Accreditation process
If your institution meets one of the following criteria, your facility will then be a candidate to begin the accreditation process, because the center or school has already passed a Level One health and safety inspection by the FCCPSA or DCF, and meet the screening requirements pursuant to FLA STAT 402.305 and 402.3055. These institutions then can proceed to the application:
»School currently accredited by FCCPSA
»Child Care Facility that currently has a Religious Exemption Certificate with FCCPSA
»Child Care Facility that is currently licensed with DCF but has a religious component. (In addition, a DCF licensed Child Care Program cannot have a Class 1 violation in the previous two years or repeatable Class 2 violations).

Private School that is not currently a member or accredited by FCCPSA
Before a school can begin the Gold Seal Accreditation process, the FCCPSA must first verify that the program and facility meets the Level One Health and Safety standards and meets the screening requirements pursuant to FLA STAT 402.305 and 402.3055. If the school is already a member, skip to step two.
1) Be a member of FCCPSA:
2) Request and pass a Level One Health and Safety Inspection
3) Meet the screening requirements pursuant to FLA STAT 402.305 and 402.3055

Child Care Facility that does not currently hold a Religious Exemption Certificate with FCCPSA or is not licensed through DCF:
Before a Child Care Center can begin the Gold Seal Accreditation process, the FCCPSA must first verify that the program and facility meet the Level One Health and Safety standards and meet the screening requirements pursuant to FLA STAT 402.305 and 402.3055. Even though the program may hold a Religious Exemption Certificate from another agency, compliance with the FCCPSA standards must be verified by an on site inspection. For additional information on the Accreditation process, go to the Child Care Facilities Religious Exemption page.

All forms including the Gold Seal Standards, and applications can be downloaded on the Forms Page

The FCCPSA maintains an integrated partnership with Cognia, formally AdvancED, the parent organization of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools CASI, the North Central Association CASI, and the Northwest Accrediting Commission.
This partnership allows FCCPSA accredited schools to obtain both FCCPSA and Cognia/SACS accreditation through one seamless process.

For more information see the Affiliations page.

The FCCPSA is an approved member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation which is dedicated to the accreditation process as a viable and responsible means of establishing a witness of school excellence.

The NCPSA is a member of The International Alliance for School Accreditation which is a coalition of regional, national, and international accrediting bodies.

In 1996, the Florida Legislature established the Gold Seal Quality Care program to acknowledge child care facilities and family day care homes that are accredited by nationally recognized agencies and whose standards reflect quality in the level of care and supervision provided to children.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) requires that all full member senior high schools be accredited by an approved accrediting agency to play sports in the state league.

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