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Abbott's On-Site Child Care Center Recognized Amongst the Country's Best; Abbott's Center Among Just 8 Percent in Country to Receive Full Accreditation

PR Newswire - September 15, 2004

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott Laboratories. on-site child care center, Early Discoveries, recently received national accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), becoming one of only eight percent of child care centers in the country to receive this prestigious endorsement of overall quality of care.

Child care continues to be a major concern amongst the nation's working parents, and the quality of that care is their primary concern and criteria in selecting a center. According to the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), one of the best ways for parents to identify high-quality child care programs is to seek out those which have achieved national accreditation.

"NAEYC Accreditation is like the Good Housekeeping Seal for child care centers, putting these centers in a class by themselves as the nation's best," said Kim Means, director of accreditation for NAEYC.

"The purpose of NAEYC Accreditation is to improve the quality of care and education provided for young children in group programs in the United States," said Means. "NAEYC-accredited programs, like Abbott's, have demonstrated a commitment to provide the highest quality programs for young children and their families."

Accreditation was earned by the center based on the quality of its child development, curriculum, staffing, environment, and health and safety. The accreditation process is voluntary and rigorous and takes months. For Early Discoveries, the NAEYC-accreditation process required thousand of hours and took more than 18 months to achieve. Early Discoveries is managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions.

One of the most significant aspects of the accreditation criteria involves the quality of the teaching staff, requiring the center to employ certified teachers and offer continuing education and training. At Abbott's center, 60 percent of the teachers are certified and/or have college degrees. To ensure that its teachers remain the highest quality, Abbott's center offers tuition reimbursement for teachers to continue their education.

"NAEYC Accreditation is not only important to Early Discoveries and Abbott, but to the community, as well as quality child care continues to be in short supply," said Jim Sipes, director of child care solutions, Abbott Laboratories. "This accreditation confirms that we have one of the highest quality child care programs in the country."

Abbott's center, located at the company's global headquarters in Lake County, Ill., set its sights on earning NAEYC accreditation the moment the center's doors opened in 2001. In addition to meeting all of the accreditation criteria, including implementing pre-reading, pre-math and writing skill programs, Abbott's center has set a standard all its own by providing unique and interesting programs like pre-school yoga classes, diversity education through activities like Chinese New Year programs, and science projects and fairs.

"My four-year-old daughter, Madison, is already writing her name and reciting her ABC's. She even knows how to strike a yoga pose," said Becky Liebau, Abbott Laboratories employee and Early Discoveries parent. "The center is amazing! Knowing she is in a fun, safe, learning environment gives me an incredible amount of peace of mind and enables me to focus on doing my best work."

About NAEYC

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade.

Founded in 1926, NAEYC celebrated its 75th anniversary with over 100,000 members and a national network of nearly 450 local, state, and regional Affiliates. NAEYC Affiliate Groups work to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public support for high quality early childhood programs.

About Abbott

Nationally recognized as one of the country's premier employers, Abbott is committed to providing employees with high-quality benefits and programs like the on-site child care center to help address their child care and work/life needs. Abbott offers full health care benefits for part-time employees working more than 20 hours and recently announced a paid paternity leave program. The company is recognized as one of the "10 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine; one of the "10 Healthiest Companies for Women" by Health magazine; and one of the best companies for minorities by FORTUNE magazine.

Abbott Laboratories is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 55,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com/ .

CONTACT: Ann Fahey-Widman, +1-847-938-6388, or Julie Ferguson, +1-847-936-6116, both of Abbott Laboratories

Web site: http://www.abbott.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/110328.html

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott Laboratories. on-site child care center, Early Discoveries, recently received national accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), becoming one of only eight percent of child care centers in the country to receive this prestigious endorsement of overall quality of care.

Child care continues to be a major concern amongst the nation's working parents, and the quality of that care is their primary concern and criteria in selecting a center. According to the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), one of the best ways for parents to identify high-quality child care programs is to seek out those which have achieved national accreditation.

"NAEYC Accreditation is like the Good Housekeeping Seal for child care centers, putting these centers in a class by themselves as the nation's best," said Kim Means, director of accreditation for NAEYC.

"The purpose of NAEYC Accreditation is to improve the quality of care and education provided for young children in group programs in the United States," said Means. "NAEYC-accredited programs, like Abbott's, have demonstrated a commitment to provide the highest quality programs for young children and their families."

Accreditation was earned by the center based on the quality of its child development, curriculum, staffing, environment, and health and safety. The accreditation process is voluntary and rigorous and takes months. For Early Discoveries, the NAEYC-accreditation process required thousand of hours and took more than 18 months to achieve. Early Discoveries is managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions.

One of the most significant aspects of the accreditation criteria involves the quality of the teaching staff, requiring the center to employ certified teachers and offer continuing education and training. At Abbott's center, 60 percent of the teachers are certified and/or have college degrees. To ensure that its teachers remain the highest quality, Abbott's center offers tuition reimbursement for teachers to continue their education.

"NAEYC Accreditation is not only important to Early Discoveries and Abbott, but to the community, as well as quality child care continues to be in short supply," said Jim Sipes, director of child care solutions, Abbott Laboratories. "This accreditation confirms that we have one of the highest quality child care programs in the country."

Abbott's center, located at the company's global headquarters in Lake County, Ill., set its sights on earning NAEYC accreditation the moment the center's doors opened in 2001. In addition to meeting all of the accreditation criteria, including implementing pre-reading, pre-math and writing skill programs, Abbott's center has set a standard all its own by providing unique and interesting programs like pre-school yoga classes, diversity education through activities like Chinese New Year programs, and science projects and fairs.

"My four-year-old daughter, Madison, is already writing her name and reciting her ABC's. She even knows how to strike a yoga pose," said Becky Liebau, Abbott Laboratories employee and Early Discoveries parent. "The center is amazing! Knowing she is in a fun, safe, learning environment gives me an incredible amount of peace of mind and enables me to focus on doing my best work."

About NAEYC

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