AMESBURY — Indoor voices weren't being used at Cashman Elementary School a few weeks ago — there was a lot of cheering and screaming — maybe even some jumping up and down.

But it wasn't the students making the noise. It was the exuberant group of kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teachers celebrating the end of a long two-year process.

They had just received notice that they had received accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

"I felt like a proud father," Principal Peter Hoyt said Friday. "The work was extraordinary. There was a huge and collective sigh of relief (at the news). The building walls probably moved in and out."

The National Association for the Education of Young Children, based in Washington, D.C., is a professional organization for early childhood educators. It sets standards and provides resources to educators, designed to promote and improve early childhood education and to help parents identify high quality child care and early education programs.

The organization offers several types of accreditation, including for early childhood programs. More than 10,000 programs nationwide are accredited by the association.

Amesbury Elementary School is also pursuing accreditation and will receive notification shortly.

Hoyt said the school received a notice informing the staff of the accreditation shortly after April vacation. Two assessors visited the school on Feb. 11, meeting with the administration and visiting three kindergarten teachers and the pre-school teacher for one hour each to observe their instruction.

The Cashman kindergarten teachers are: Kate Bissell, Linda Jensen, Marianne Mueller, Sue Bolduc-Kelleher and Joanna Dodier. Florence Emerson teaches pre-kindergarten.

Part of the day included reviewing several of the thick, detailed portfolios that each teacher had to compile, showing how she meets the criteria for the association's standards by using data and photographs of her class.

There are 400 criteria to prove a program meets National Association for the Education of Young Children standards. A school must meet 80 percent of the criteria to meet the standard. If not, the school would be deferred or denied accreditation.

Of the 10 standards — relationships, curriculum, teaching, assessment of child progress, health, teachers, families, community relationships, physical environment and leadership and management — Cashman received 100 percent on seven. Four of the seven were "100 percent-plus," showing the school exceeded expectations. Two received marks in the 90 percent range and one — health — was ranked in the 80s.

Cashman School was one of the first schools in the country to receive accreditation under the newly redone and updated program standards.

"It was tough; it was very, very tough," Jensen said.

During a meeting last week, the kindergarten teachers and pre-kindergarten teacher Florence Emerson described the rigorous process. They spent countless hours assembling their portfolios — materials covered dining room tables — working on the books on snow days and days off, and photographing their students and their work.

"We seriously can give ourselves a pat on the back," Jensen said. "We did a good job."

While it's completely voluntary for an early-childhood program to receive National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation, it makes the school eligible for more federal and state grants for its early education programs.

Don Owens, the director of public affairs for the association, said last week the accreditation system for early childhood centers is very similar to what a university goes through for such as designation.

"It's a pretty high standard," Owens said. "It is very difficult."

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Breakout Box

In Massachusetts, there are 1,164 kindergarten programs with accreditation.

Parents can search for a child care center, preschool or kindergarten with accreditation at: http://rightchoiceforkids.org/