Students work on art projects at the Hainerberg School Age Center.
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Enjoying the summer weather and a game of table tennis at the Hainerberg School Age Center.
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The staff and students are proud of their home-grown vegetable garden at the Hainerberg School Age Center.
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A student works on a poster in celebration of the U.S. Army’s Birthday at the Wiesbaden center.
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WIESBADEN, Germany – The U.S. Army takes quality of care seriously.
That is reflected in its consistent efforts and standards to ensure the best possible service in its child and youth facilities.
“Every year we’re constantly focusing on particular areas for improvement (the Continuous Quality Improvement Plan),” said Rosa Pacheco, Hainerberg School Age Center Director.
Following a rigorous inspection by the Social Current organization (formerly known as the Council on Accreditation) in May, the Hainerberg center received its prestigious re-accreditation (conducted every four years).
“We got rave reviews from the endorser,” said Pacheco about the inspection, adding, “At the end of the day, it’s a team effort. The positivity of this group has been amazing.”
“I think parents can rest assured that they’re leaving their children with a quality program,” Pacheco said, pointing out that the staff, feedback from the children and having a strong training curriculum all play roles in the quality of care.
The center director also praised the support of the Installation Management Command-Europe through staff assistant visits and oversight – suggesting ways to streamline and enhance day-to-day operations.
“Our training curriculum specialist plays a huge role – coordinating all of those activities. And having the staff come together and using their own strengths and qualities is also huge,” she said.
“Without this accreditation, we don’t have our DoD certification,” Pacheco added. “I think we all win – everyone contributes to this goal – it’s a team effort.”
For Hainerberg SAC Training Curriculum Specialist Kori Lekar, undergoing the scrutiny of the accreditation team was a repeat experience.
“I’ve done a lot of these accreditations and this is the most confident I’ve ever been going into this,” Lekar said. “The staff is happy, the parents are happy – it’s just a top-notch program.”
Lekar explained that a major part of the lesson planning process is considering the children’s interests and feedback.
“We want to focus on programs that may have an educational side, but are fun for them to be a part of,” she said.
“The highest level programming – that’s what we’re aiming for – and that’s what accreditation does,” Lekar said.