COA accredits the full continuum of social and human services.
These include:
- Child, youth, and family services
- Behavioral health services
- Aging services
- Homeless services
- Services for persons with developmental disabilities
- Residential services
- Financial education and counseling services
- Employee assistance services
- Adoption home study programs
- Additional social services
COA is an approved accreditor for Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). Learn more here.
COA does not accredit certification programs, training curricula, or services that require skilled nursing. Find in-depth information about our eligibility criteria here.
Not sure if what you offer fits? Send us a message, and we’ll be happy to help you out!
OUR ACCREDITATION PROGRAMS
All our accreditation programs offer:
- 4-year accreditation*
- A dedicated Accreditation Coordinator who serves as your single point of contact and helps you throughout the process
- A user-friendly, online system for project management and working through your accreditation process
- Free access to our standards, trainings, and other accreditation materials
- Multiple opportunities to demonstrate your implementation of the standards through documentation, on-site reviews, and post Site Visit follow-ups
- Complimentary resources to help you promote your accreditation and solicit funding
*Except for opioid treatment programs, which are mandated by SAMHSA to be accredited for 3 years
Read on to find out how the accreditation programs differ and which might be applicable to you.
PRIVATE ORGANIZATION ACCREDITATION
Most of the organizations that COA accredits fall under the private organization umbrella. These organizations can expect:
PRIVATE ORGANIZATION ACCREDITATION
For organizations that:
- Offer social or human services.
- Are in the U.S.
- Are a nonprofit or for-profit organization.
Most of the organizations that COA accredits fall under the private organization umbrella. These organizations can expect:
Full-organization accreditation.
We will conduct an in-depth review of all of your services that we have standards for, as well as your administration and management practices. Learn about the benefits of that approach here.
For organizations that:
- Offer social or human services.
- Are in the U.S.
- Are a nonprofit or for-profit organization.
Full-organization accreditation.
We will conduct an in-depth review of all of your services that we have standards for, as well as your administration and management practices. Learn about the benefits of that approach here.
The process to take 12-18 months, with some flexibility for organizations impacted by the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).
We want you to put in the time to do things right and make your accreditation a success. Plan ahead for your Site Visit with our Site Visit Date Calculator.
Organizations mandated to become accredited as a result of FFPSA may be eligible for a phased accreditation approach that will help them meet their deadline. For more information, please contact Joe Perrow.
Costs vary based on your agency’s size and services. We have different payment plan options available for public agencies. Please contact us for more detailed information. We recommend amortizing the fees over the four-year award when comparing costs to other accreditors.
PUBLIC AGENCY ACCREDITATION
We are proud to accredit county, local, municipality, and state-administered human service agencies, as well as programs that are mandated to become accredited within or by such entities. These agencies can expect:
PUBLIC AGENCY ACCREDITATION
For agencies that:
- Offer social or human services.
- Are a state, county, local, tribal government agency, or a program mandated to become accredited within an agency (mandated program)
We are proud to accredit county, local, municipality, and state-administered human service agencies, as well as programs that are mandated to become accredited within or by such entities. These agencies can expect:
Comprehensive accreditation tracks.
We offer three accreditation tracks that allow an agency to pace when parts of its system engage in the accreditation process. We also provide accreditation options for an agency when some, but not all, of its services are mandated to become accredited or when an agency seeking accreditation is a division of a larger agency. Each accreditation track includes an in-depth review of all applicable services for which COA has accreditation standards, as well as an agency’s administration and management and service delivery administration practices. Learn about the benefits of that approach here. Learn about the benefits of that approach here.
For agencies that:
- Offer social or human services.
- Are a state, county, local, tribal government agency, or a program mandated to become accredited within an agency (mandated program)
Comprehensive accreditation tracks.
We offer three accreditation tracks that allow an agency to pace when parts of its system engage in the accreditation process. We also provide accreditation options for an agency when some, but not all, of its services are mandated to become accredited or when an agency seeking accreditation is a division of a larger agency. Each accreditation track includes an in-depth review of all applicable services for which COA has accreditation standards, as well as an agency’s administration and management and service delivery administration practices. Learn about the benefits of that approach here.
The timeline of the process to vary between 18 – 48 months, depending on agency size and chosen accreditation track.
We will work with you to build a schedule that suits the type and size of your agency, priorities, resources, implementation needs, and the accreditation track that you choose. This allows time for your stakeholders to get actively involved, and to support realistic and sustainable change in policy and practice.
Costs vary based on your agency’s size and services. We have different payment plan options available for public agencies. Please contact us for more detailed information.
CANADIAN ORGANIZATION ACCREDITATION
COA is happy to accredit nonprofit, for-profit, and government agency social and human service organizations based in Canada. As with our private organizations, these entities can expect:
CANADIAN ORGANIZATION ACCREDITATION
For organizations that:
- Offer social or human services.
- Are in Canada.
COA is happy to accredit nonprofit, for-profit, and government agency social and human service organizations based in Canada. As with our private organizations, these entities can expect:
For organizations that:
- Offer social or human services.
- Are in Canada.
Full-organization accreditation.
We will conduct an in-depth review of all of your services that we have standards for, as well as your administration and management practices. Learn about the benefits of that approach here.
The process to take 12-18 months.
We want you to put in the time to do things right and make your accreditation a success. Plan ahead for your Site Visit with our Site Visit Date Calculator.
Costs vary based on your agency’s size and services. We have different payment plan options available for public agencies. Please contact us for more detailed information. We recommend amortizing the fees over the four-year award when comparing costs to other accreditors.
CHILD & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ACCREDITATION
Those that offer only early childhood education, out of school time, or youth development services can expect:
CHILD & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ACCREDITATION
For organizations or programs that:
- Are in the U.S.
- Offer only early childhood education, out of school time, or youth development services.
Those that offer only early childhood education, out of school time, or youth development services can expect:
A choice between program-specific or full-organization accreditation.
If you want full-organization accreditation, you can choose between a standard or extended review. View or download more information on our child and youth development accreditation options here.
The process to take 9-12 months for individual programs, or 12-18 months for organizations.
We want you to put in the time to do things right and make your accreditation a success.
For organizations or programs that:
- Are in the U.S.
- Offer only early childhood education, out of school time, or youth development services.
The process to take 9-12 months for individual programs, or 12-18 months for organizations.
We want you to put in the time to do things right and make your accreditation a success.
A choice between program-specific or full-organization accreditation.
If you want full-organization accreditation, you can choose between a standard or extended review. View or download more information on our child and youth development accreditation options here.
Click here for child and youth development fee information (applicable to both program-specific and organizational accreditation).
MILITARY FAMILY READINESS ACCREDITATION
COA is proud to have been designated by the Department of Defense (DoD) to accredit programs that offer military family readiness services. We created this accreditation program in collaboration with the DoD, as well as military and other national human service experts. Programs can expect:
MILITARY FAMILY READINESS ACCREDITATION
For programs that:
- Offer U.S. military family readiness services.
COA is proud to have been designated by the Department of Defense (DoD) to accredit programs that offer military family readiness services. We created this accreditation program in collaboration with the DoD, as well as military and other national human service experts. Programs can expect:
For programs that:
- Offer U.S. military family readiness services.
Program-specific accreditation.
We will conduct an in-depth review of all of your services that we have standards for, as well as your administration and management practices. Learn about the benefits of that approach here.
The process to take 9-12 months.
We want you to put in the time to do things right and make your accreditation a success.