Ettie Lee received COA Accreditation

March 23, 2012 - PRLog -- ETTIE LEE YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES
                        Contact:
                        Vicki Mastro
                        626/960-4861
                        vicki_m@ettielee.org
            
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      
         

ETTIE LEE YOUTH & FAMLIES SERVICES
EARNS ACCREDITATION
FROM COUNCIL ON ACCREDITATION (COA)
   
March 2012 - On February 9, 2012 Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services was informed by the Council on Accreditation (COA) that they had met the accreditation standards of COA.  
For over 30 years, COA's mission has been to partner with agencies to improve the lives of the people you serve. To achieve this mission in today's difficult environment, COA has developed Contextual AccreditationTM.
COA explains Contextual Accreditation this way:  Contextual Accreditation is a strategy to strengthen, measure, and validate your agency's effectiveness. To make this strategy effective, Contextual Accreditation focuses on each agency's unique mission, resources and culture, as well as the unique needs and aspirations of the people it serves.
This approach results in a process customized to reflect the capacity of each agency in terms of realistic timetables, areas for technical assistance and the most appropriate peer review team.
Richard Klaberg, President & CEO of COA, said, “Achieving COA accreditation will not be easy. While the process and the new 8th Edition Standards have been streamlined to ensure they are relevant and achievable by agencies of every size and mission, they continue COA's unwavering commitment to excellence, client rights and essential life and safety standards.”
“Our overriding goal is to protect the children in our care,” stated Clayton L. Downey, President & CEO at Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services.   “Achieving this accreditation is one way that we can continually monitor ourselves to insure excellence in always in our sights.”

Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services was founded in 1950 by Miss Ettie Lee, a Los Angeles high-school teacher who opened the first group home in America. A pioneer in the field of child welfare, we serve over 1,200 young people and their families each year.
   
    Ettie Lee Youth & Family Services is a nonprofit child welfare agency serving the complex needs of at-risk youth who have been abused, neglected or abandoned.  Its mission is to assist troubled youth who are in need of guidance and support to develop values and skills that will facilitate their success in life.  Ettie Lee complies with the highest standards of Community Care Licensing, Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services, and Los Angeles County Department of Probation.  Ettie Lee is accredited by the California Alliance for Children & Families and the Council on Accreditation.  
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