Humane Education Coalition

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ACCREDITATION

Enhance your humane education program's trust, integrity, and transparency among supporters and in your community.

Our parent organization, the Academy of Prosocial Learning, provides accreditation to organizations whose humane education programs meet rigorous standards and demonstrate best practices in their activities. Please read the sections below to learn more about earning accreditation for your education program.
  • Purpose
  • Benefits
  • Eligibility
  • Review
  • Renewal
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Accreditation formally recognizes effective humane education programs that consistently prepare students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the most pressing challenges in our world. The purpose of accreditation is to offer an opportunity for organizations to work toward utilizing a framework for the core components expected in an effective, comprehensive humane education program.

Accreditation provides a third-party, best practices-based review process that encourages and recognizes excellence in the preparation, content, delivery, and evaluation of humane education programming. Additionally, accreditation facilitates an organization's in-depth, continual self-assessment of their programs, promoting improvement and refinement of their humane education programs.
Accreditation enhances trust, integrity, and transparency among an organization's supporters and in their communities. Earning accreditation is a distinctive honor, and the process of completing the program review is a major benefit. Organizations will have the opportunity to clarify program goals and objectives and revisit implementation strategies and procedures for evaluative metrics. They will measure program outcomes and performance against humane education criteria and best practices, and they will use the structured review process for evidence-based program improvement. Additionally, they will document program successes credibly, which can be used to communicate those successes internally and externally for program support. 

Accredited humane education programs are positioned to develop meaningful relationships with schools, practitioners, students, community leaders, and others involved in their program’s implementation. A valuable benefit is the ability to document program impact and provide evidence of excellence for agency leadership, funders, and community stakeholders. Accredited programs will be positioned to demonstrate to the public, governing boards, donors, and others that the program is using best practices and providing effective humane education to students. 

Finally, the accreditation program benefits the field of humane education as a whole by giving us the opportunity to expand our knowledge base and document effective humane education programs. Collectively, we will share best practices that improve and enrich the entire profession as well as leverage continued growth and development of humane education programs worldwide. Accreditation allows us to celebrate exemplary humane education programs, setting an example for and inspiring other organizations around the world.
Because humane education programs are unique, accreditation is open to a wide range of organizations that meet the best practices outlined in the forthcoming Core Components of Humane Education. This includes, but is not limited to, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, social enterprises, and for-profit education businesses and corporations.
Organizations seeking accreditation will undergo an intensive review process to demonstrate achievement of specific criteria as they relate to the program's respective area of humane education. Humane education programs must meet stringent requirements for proficiency in content and instruction, as outlined in the Coalition's forthcoming Core Components of Humane Education.

​The process begins with a preliminary application and self-audit to ensure the education program meets the minimum standards for consideration. Additional documentation will be requested as the Academy of Prosocial Learning reviews the humane education program. Videoconference interviews may be required as part of the review process.
Once accreditation is granted, the approved program enters a reassessment cycle. Accreditation renewal occurs every three years to ensure ongoing compliance with the Coalition's best practices.

Interested in applying for accreditation?
​Start by ​contacting us.

Contact Us
info@hecoalition.org
432 S. Juliana Street
Bedford, PA 15522​

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The Humane Education Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN #82-1000459. ​Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. ​© 2021 Humane Education Coalition. All rights reserved. ​View privacy policy.