New London — The child development center at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy recently earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a leading organization of early childhood professionals.

Patricia McIlveen, director of the center, said the accreditation “lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences possible.”

To earn the accreditation, the center went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the association’s early childhood program standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. Assessors from the association visited the site.