COA ACCREDITATION

The Council on Accreditation is an independent not-for-profit international accreditor of the full continuum of community-based behavioral health care and human service organizations.  Over 1800 organizations – public and private – are either COA accredited or are in the process of seeking accreditation.  These organizations serve over 7 million of our most vulnerable individuals each year.

COA’s commitment to maintaining the highest level of standards and quality improvement is designed to identify providers that have set high performance standards for themselves and have made a commitment to their constituents to deliver the highest quality services.

COA accreditation is an objective and reliable verification that provides confidence and support to an after school program’s children and youth, parents, staff and community partners.  The COA accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of both a program’s administrative operations and its service delivery practices.  All are “measured” against national standards of best practice.  These standards emphasize services that are accessible, appropriate, culturally responsive, evidence based, and outcomes-oriented.  In addition, they confirm that the services are provided by a skilled and supported workforce and that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.

The Lawton School-Age Clubhouse had been accredited through the National After-School Association since 2002 however in 2010 the association no longer conducted accrediting services.  COA then became the only accrediting body for a school-age center in Oklahoma.  Playcare, Inc. is proud to announce that the Lawton School-Age Clubhouse was the first center in the state of Oklahoma to receive COA accreditation.