Accreditations and Affiliations

Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE)

Smith Street Arts & Lettres has been awarded “labellisation”, a prestigious seal and diploma from AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad) for providing outstanding education in French. The “LabelFrancÉducation” seal is granted to schools outside of France that promote French language and culture as part of their curriculum. AEFE is a governmental institution affiliated with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for managing the network of French schools abroad and the quality of the French educational system.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

We are thrilled to announce that the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has awarded accreditation to our school. This is an incredible honor, owed not only to the very hard work and dedication of Elizabeth Brown (founding Maternelle teacher and current Preschool Director), who worked closely with staff to prepare our portfolio, to refine curricula, and to manage the inspection process, but also to all of the educators who work tirelessly to make Smith Street the absolute best learning environment out there. 

To earn NAEYC accreditation, we went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process over the course of the last two and a half years, followed by an on-site visit by the NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. 

In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 6,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC, less than 10 percent of all childcare centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition. 

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

Smith Street Arts & Lettres is a member of The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a nonprofit membership association that provides services to more than 1,800 schools and associations of schools in the United States and abroad, including more than 1,500 independent private K-12 schools in the U.S.

New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON)

Smith Street Arts & Lettres is a member of NYCON, an organization that helps New York's nonprofits to build their capacity for growth and community impact. They are also a powerful voice for the nonprofit sector in matters of policy and advocacy. 

Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY)

Smith Street Arts & Lettres is a proud member of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY). Founded in 1965, ISAAGNY aims to ensure orderly, professional, and equitable admissions processes at member schools: we do so by observing a shared admissions timeline, engaging in professional development to hone our collective craft, exchanging resources and best practices, and more. The resulting spirit of cooperation serves schools, families, and nearly 30,000 students across greater New York.

The Parents League of New York (PLNY)

Founded in 1913 as a coalition of parents and independent and private schools, the Parents League of New York supports families and children by providing a broad range of educational and parenting resources through partnerships with schools and educational providers.