The Russell Park Child Development Center, one of two privately owned and operated child centers on the UC Davis campus, has been granted accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The center, owned and operated by John Hillis, cares for children of campus faculty, staff and student members. This is the association's only accredited program in Davis serving infants through kindergartners, and, in fact, only 7 percent of early-childhood programs across the nation achieve this honor. The association accredits child-care centers, preschools and kindergartens that meet national standards of excellence in providing a safe and nurturing environment for the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of young children. To achieve the accreditation, trained professionals collect information from parents, teachers and administrators, and observe classrooms. According to Barbara Ashby, campus child-care coordinator, UC Davis participates in the child centers on campus by determining enrollment policies and procedures, hours of operation, fees, curriculum, health and safety standards, parent education, staff development, and personnel policies. Each center has a Parent Advisory Council. Ashby conducts weekly site visits, ongoing exit interviews, and a formal program evaluation annually, and provides grievance counseling and mediation services as needed. Both centers have established communication with the campus lab school, and students observe at the programs. "Contracted child care does require the right mix of players," Ashby says. "All in all, such a model has enabled UC Davis to offer quality care that is accessible to all campus constituencies."