Founded in 1926, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 80,000 members, a national network of more than 300 state and local Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.
Membership
NAEYC is the leading membership association for those working with and on behalf of children from birth through age 8. NAEYC convenes thought leaders, teachers and other practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders and sets standards of excellence for programs and teachers in early childhood education. NAEYC members include teachers, paraeducators, center directors, trainers, college educators, families of young children, and the public at large. Membership is open to all individuals who share a desire to serve and act on behalf of the needs and rights of all young children.
NAEYC members receive valuable benefits, including an award-winning publication, voting rights to elect diverse leadership to the NAEYC Governing Board, and the opportunity to add their voices to the NAEYC Call to Action. In addition, members receive discounted rates on books and multimedia resources, and reduced conference registration fees at the local, state, and national Affiliate levels.
NAEYC members living in Europe are served by our Europe AYC Affiliate, and International membership is available to those living abroad outside of Europe. The Global Alliance connects like-minded organizations, extending our reach worldwide.
Conferences and Meetings
Annual Conference and Expo
The NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo is one of the foremost professional development experiences in the early childhood field. Each year, NAEYC's Annual Conference features hundreds of peer-reviewed presentations and exhibits, and many other opportunities for educators to learn about the latest research, discuss new ideas for professional preparation, and network and share with colleagues. In addition, NAEYC’s local, state, and regional Affiliates host conferences throughout the year, offering many more opportunities for early childhood educators to exchange ideas and learn together. The 2011 Annual Conference was held in Orlando, Florida, November 2–5, 2011. The 2012 Annual Conference & Expo will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 7–10, 2012.
Public Policy Forum
In March 2011 teams of NAEYC members from almost every state came to Washington, DC, for the annual NAEYC Public Policy Forum. They met with their US senators and representatives to discuss critical issues, focusing especially on funding for early childhood programs, reauthorization of the Child Care & Development Block Grant, and the Elementary & Secondary Education Act. The Public Policy Forum also featured a discussion with Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and a number of nationally recognized policy experts addressed key national and state issues.
National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development
More than 2,000 participants gathered in Providence, Rhode Island in June 2011 for the National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development. Faculty from two- and four-year colleges and universities, program administrators, and state and national policy makers explored the theme "Curriculum, Assessment, and Teaching: Putting It All Together!" and discussed new strategies for incorporating research and professional experience into teacher education, training, administration, and advocacy. The 2012 Institute will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 10–13, 2012 . The theme is “Leadership Throughout the Early Childhood Profession: Research, Policy, and Practice.”
Accreditation
Accreditation of Programs for Young Children
The NAEYC Academy sets and monitors standards for high-quality early childhood education programs and accredits programs that meet these standards. NAEYC Accreditation has been helping parents make the right choices and improving the quality of education and care provided in programs for young children since the early 1980s. Parents looking for a high-quality program for their young child can watch the Right Choice for Kids video and search for an NAEYC-Accredited program. Programs interested in achieving NAEYC Accreditation can learn more at www.naeyc.org/academy.
Accreditation of Higher Education Programs
The NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards describe what early childhood professionals are expected to know and be able to do, defining essential learning outcomes in professional preparation and development programs and creating a shared national vision of excellence. These standards provide a national framework for the development of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in professional development and preparation programs.
The NAEYC Commission on Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation (ECADA) awards accreditation to associate degree programs that indicate strength in a set of twelve programmatic characteristics and meet the NAEYC professional preparation standards, additional supportive skills, and the ECADA eligibility requirements. NAEYC awards national recognition to baccalaureate and graduate early childhood programs that meet the NAEYC professional preparation standards and are housed in colleges and universities that are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Periodicals
NAEYC publishes two periodicals, Young Children and Teaching Young Children. New and returning members can select the print version of one these periodical as a member benefit. All members can access the digital version of Young Children, along with a growing archive, by logging in to the Members Only area of the NAEYC website.
Young Children, our professional, peer-reviewed journal, keeps NAEYC members and their colleagues informed about best practices for and latest research-based ideas in early education. A cluster of articles in each issue focuses on a particular subject. In the past year the featured topics included Engaging Learners—Using Traditional and Technological Tools, Emotional Intelligence: A 21st Century Skill for Children and Adults, and Preparing and Supporting Teachers: Innovative Approaches. Young Children is one of the most valued benefits of membership, and many readers share the journal with colleagues and families. The journal, and the accompanying professional development guide, NEXT for Young Children, are published five times a year.
Teaching Young Children offers practical, research-based information for preschool educators. The magazine is designed for readers who prefer practical information offered in a brief, direct, and friendly writing style, with colorful photographs and illustrations demonstrating teaching ideas and strategies. The magazine and the accompanying staff development guide, NEXT for Teaching Young Children, are published five times a year.
Tesoros y Colores is the Spanish translation of Teaching Young Children. It too is published five times a year.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, NAEYC’s scholarly journal, explores the latest research on early childhood development and practice. The journal publishes original research, as well as practitioner and policy perspectives, book reviews, and significant reviews of research.
Voices of Practitioners: Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education is NAEYC's peer-reviewed, professional online journal. Its main purpose is to provide a vehicle for publishing the research of early childhood teachers, who are often underrepresented as authors in the educational research arena.
Books
An important way NAEYC fulfills its mission as the nation's largest and most influential early childhood education organization is to publish high-quality, cost-effective books, booklets, and brochures for our members and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children ages birth to 8. NAEYC's books and book-related resources draw from early childhood theory, research, and practice to offer essential principles, fresh perspectives, and strategies for fostering children’s development and learning.
Fundamental to all NAEYC’s work are the principles of developmentally appropriate practice, which is most explicitly described in its best-selling book Developmentally Appropriate Practice (Copple & Bredekamp 2009). Other important NAEYC books include Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Derman-Sparks, & Edwards 2010), The Young Child and Mathematics 2e (Copley 2010), and The Intentional Teacher (Epstein 2007). These NAEYC books and many others are available from the Online Store.
Public Policy and Advocacy
NAEYC and our members are a leading voice for early childhood education to Congress and other federal entities, governors and state legislatures, state and local agencies, and other policy makers throughout the country. At each level, we help policy makers and the public understand the benefits of high-quality programs and services and advocate for well-financed, high-quality systems of affordable early childhood education for all children birth through age 8 across all settings.
Our federal public policy work is issue-driven and nonpartisan. NAEYC’s A Call to Action for the 112th Congress makes recommendations for federal legislation, and we respond to calls for comments on regulation and other legislative and executive initiatives. We provide the public with free updates and alerts for timely action through our Children’s Champions e-mail list.
At the state and local level, NAEYC supports our state and local Affiliates, helping them enhance their public policy and advocacy efforts. Our work for members, Affiliates, and the field at large covers a wide range of issues, including the development and implementation of quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), integrated professional development systems, P-20 data systems, and early childhood advisory councils.
Professional Development Resources
NAEYC's professional development resources and training programs are designed to meet the varied needs of the early childhood field. Designed for practitioners as well as early childhood adult educators (faculty and trainers), the resources employ a variety of delivery methods—web- and computer-based, face-to-face, online, and training-of-trainers (TOT) programs. Resources include Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Intentionality, Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Play, Communication Skills for Challenging Conversations: Training for Program Administrators, and The HRM Journal: Human Resources Management in Early Childhood Programs.
Association Relations
NAEYC and our Affiliates work together to raise the quality of early childhood programs and to continue building the Association as a high-performing organization, strengthened by diversity and inclusion. Affiliates are represented by the Affiliate Council, an NAEYC advisory body providing leadership and guidance to further strengthen the capacity of the NAEYC Affiliate Network.
NAEYC members engage in networking events, leadership opportunities, and advocacy efforts through their local and state Affiliates. Many of NAEYC’s Affiliates host annual conferences and other professional development forums. Together, NAEYC members make a difference for young children in their communities.
