NAEYC Guidelines for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs

Associate, Baccalaureate, and Advanced Levels

Summary:

These guidelines were developed by NAEYC and endorsed by the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC/CEC). They are designed to help institutions develop programs and to provide guidance to states in setting standards for licensure of teachers.

In keeping with the trends toward performance-based licensure and accreditation, these guidelines are framed as desired outcomes for program graduates. Therefore, they serve also as a guide to individuals selecting programs of early childhood teacher preparation. NAEYC's guidelines for baccalauareate and advanced programs are also approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and are used by institutions seeking NCATE accreditation.

The guidelines describe the common core of knowledge, performances, and dispositions that are desired outcomes of preparation programs for all early childhood professionals. Early childhood education is a diverse field encompassing a broad age-range of the lifespan, birth through age eight, including children with special developmental and learning needs. Early childhood education occurs in diverse settings including public and private schools, centers, and home-based programs, and encompasses many roles in addition to the traditional role of "teacher".

The guidelines address the following: Design of Professional Education; Candidates in Professional Education; Professional Education Faculty; and, Administration of the Early Childhood Professional Preparation Program. The complete Position Statement described above is available in the publication, Guidelines for Preparation of Early Childhood Professionals, 1996. NAEYC #212. NAEYC publication #212 also includes the following:

DEC/CEC Personnel Standards for Early Education and Early Intervention: Guidelines for Licensure in Early Childhood Special Education (Developed by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children; endorsed by NAEYC.

NBPTS Standards for Early Childhood/Generalist Certification(these standards represent a professional consensus on the critical aspects of practice that distinguish exemplary teachers in the early childhood field). Developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; endorsed by NAEYC.