Color My Nails School of Nail Technology in Midvale, Utah, has been accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS), becoming the first nail school accredited by the association.

“If all schools in the United States had to be accredited we would have better qualified nail technicians coming out of nail schools,” says school owner Monica Bruin. “If a school does not have a high employment rate you could lose your accreditation and so that alone makes you as a school.”

Accreditation is a two-year process. During that time NACCAS visits the school twice and regulates everything from tests and curriculum to attendance and catalogs.

Once a school is accredited that school can visit high schools and talk to students about taking classes in cosmetology. Students can begin taking classes while still in high school and obtain high school credit.

“I think one of the most important things accreditation does for me as a school owner is they track how I teach, how my students are doing, if they are working, and if they are successful in the industry. This information tells them how I am doing as a school,” says Bruin. “You have to make sure your students are doing great nails before they graduate or it will show with your employment rates.”