For more information, contact
Don Owens at NAEYC
202-350-8857
Mobil: 202-302-5928
Email: dowens@naeyc.org

For Immediate Release:
October 5, 2007

Higher Ed Associate Degree Accreditation Earned by 17 More Community Colleges Nationwide

National system sets rigorous standards of excellence in early childhood teacher education

(Washington, DC) - October 05, 2007 – The Division of Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation at NAEYC announced today that it has awarded accreditation to 17 community and technical colleges across the country at its most recent Commission meeting.

“This accreditation system provides the first-ever national standards by which early childhood associate degree programs can be uniformly measured,” said Alison Lutton, Director, of the Early Childhood Associate Degree Program at NAEYC.  “By earning this distinctive and rigorous mark of quality for its students and faculty, these colleges have elevated the profession and the quality of education in their communities.”

Professional early childhood education teachers are among the fastest growing occupational needs in the United States.  The association’s Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation system recognizes degree programs at colleges which meet the highest standards for teacher preparation.  The newly accredited early childhood associate degree programs are located at the following institutions:

• Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD
• Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College, Asheville, NC
• Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC
• Rockingham Community College, Wentworth, NC
• Harry S. Truman College, Chicago, IL
• Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Conway, SC
• Ivy Tech Community College – Evansville, Evansville, IN
• Ivy Tech Community College – Muncie, Muncie, IN
• Ivy Tech Community College – Richmond, Richmond, IN
• Montgomery College, Rockville, MD
• Northampton Community College, Bethlehem, PA
• Northern Essex Community College, Lawrence, MA
• Pulaski Technical College, N. Little Rock, AR
• Spartanburg Community College, Spartanburg, SC
• Tri-County Technical College, Pendleton, SC
• Trident Technical College, N. Charleston, SC
• York Technical College, Rock Hill, SC

A growing number of colleges and universities that award Early Childhood Associate Degrees are choosing NAEYC’s higher education accreditation system.  National accreditation establishes shared professional standards to assess quality of early childhood teacher education programs.

The accreditation degree program has experienced terrific growth.  Since 2005, 140 colleges and universities in 35 states have enrolled in self-study to work toward accreditation. Today’s announcement brings the total that have successfully earned accreditation to 34 colleges in 8 states.

Both public and private early care and education programs, including Head Start, are increasingly calling for its teachers to have at least an associate’s degree or higher.  Elevated professional standards for educators in the early childhood field will have a direct effect on the quality by which early learning programs will be evaluated.

“Teacher quality is a crucial component in providing high-quality early childhood education to millions of children across the country,” said Jerlean Daniel, Ph. D., Associate Executive Director of NAEYC.  “Establishing high standards for associate degree programs is an important step towards raising the quality of all teacher preparation programs.” 

For more information about the new NAEYC Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation system, visit: www.naeyc.org/faculty/asdeg.asp

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