Observation: NAEYC Accredited Programs

There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge... observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination. Denis Diderot

One of the tools to develop as an Early Childhood professional is to observe other programs, particularly programs that meet and even exceed our state licensing requirements; programs that go beyond to implement best practices for children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the largest organization of early childhood professionals and has established the hallmark for Developmentally Appropriate Practice in working with young children.  Let's take a closer look at what makes quality programs for children. Here is information about NAEYC Accreditation from their website, as well as a link to search for an accredited program near you to complete your observation for your CDA Essentials course.

NAEYC Accreditation of programs for young children represents the mark of quality in early childhood education.  NAEYC Accreditation began in 1985 with the goal of providing an accrediting system that would raise the level of early childhood programs. Today, over 6,500 programs are NAEYC Accredited.

NAEYC accredited programs invest in early childhood education because they believe in the benefits to children and families.  Early childhood experiences—from birth to age 8—have an enormous impact on children’s lifelong learning and positively contribute to their health and development.  Early childhood education programs with the mark of quality benefit children with greater readiness for and success in school.

Benefits of being an NAEYC Accredited Program:

• Helps to build a stronger team of teachers, administrators, and families working together to improve quality for children. 
• Improved standards for the overall program 
• Recognition through NAEYC, including program listing on the NAEYC website in the Program Search section 
• Announcement of program’s accreditation in the NAEYC Early Learning News weekly newsletter to programs, members, media, and others. 
• Use of NAEYC Accredited logo for marketing purposes 
•  Attracts more families to enroll their children at program 

Search for an NAEYC Accredited Program near you

Who Are Early Childhood Professionals?

Who are Early Childhood Professionals? Let's look and see what the largest professional organization of Early Childhood professionals have to say about us: 

http://www.naeyc.org/

Professionals in the field of early childhood education include individuals who provide direct services to young children (from birth through age 8) and their families, as well as those who administer the programs in which these individuals work and those who provide professional development for these individuals. Early childhood professionals who provide direct services to children and families include:

Teachers, teacher assistants, and caregivers in: 

•  Campus children’s centers in two- and four-year higher education institutions
• Child care programs 
• Head Start and Early Head Start programs 
• Kindergarten and primary grade programs (1st – 3rd grade) 
• Out-of-school-time programs 
• Part-day preschool or nursery schools 
• Prekindergarten programs in schools and community-based agencies 
• Family child care providers 
• Early intervention specialists and others who provide education and care for children with disabilities and their families 
• Home visitors in Head Start, Early Head Start, and other programs 
• Child life specialists (in hospitals and other therapeutic settings) 
• Nannies who provide care for young children in the children’s homes 

Early childhood professionals who administer programs include: 

• Program directors, education managers, curriculum specialists, and others who manage programs or have oversight responsibilities for classrooms in the programs noted above
• Principals in public, charter, and private schools that serve children from birth through third grade and their families 
• Public and private agencies that administer family child care networks 

Professional development providers for these individuals include: 

• Faculty in two- and four-year and graduate programs in institutions of higher education 
• Adult educators / trainers in public and private organizations
• Child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency staff 
• Head Start / Early Head Start training and technical assistance providers 
• Program administrators who provide training and technical assistance to their staff 

In addition, other early childhood professionals provide monitoring and support services to program administrators and direct service providers, such as state and local agency licensors and other early childhood agency staff, early childhood specialists in state (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs), U.S. Administration for Children and Families and U.S. Department of Education program specialists, and others.