Accredited programs have met NAEYC’s 10 standards for high-quality early childhood education. These programs have demonstrated that they provide a safe and healthy environment for children, have teachers who are well-trained, have access to excellent teaching materials, and work with a curriculum that is appropriately challenging and developmentally sound.

NAEYC Accreditation helps parents find the best possible early childhood experience for their children. NAEYC-Accredited programs must:

• Promote positive relationships for all children and adults to encourage each child’s sense of individual worth.

• Implement a curriculum that fosters all areas of child development: cognitive, emotional, language, physical, and social.

• Use developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches.

• Provide ongoing assessments of each child’s learning and development and communicate the child’s progress to the family.

• Promote the nutrition and health of children and protect children and staff from illness and injury.

• Employ and support a teaching staff that has the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children’s learning and development and to support families’ diverse interests and needs.

• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with each child’s family.

• Establish relationships with and use the resources of the community to support achievement of program goals.

• Provide a safe and healthy physical environment.

• Implement strong personnel, fiscal, and program management policies so that all children, families, and staff have high-quality experiences.

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

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association comprises nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and 52 Affiliates, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. Together, we work to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.

NAEYC Mission Statement

NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.