NAEYC Accreditation Criteria

NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria: (Effective September 16, 2006)

• New NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards
• Introduction to the New NAEYC Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria
• The Four Steps
• Provide feedback on NAEYC Standards and Criteria

Effective September 16, 2006; all NAEYC-accredited programs, and all programs seeking NAEYC Accreditation, will be required to meet the new program standards and criteria.

The new standards and criteria are a major step forward–for NAEYC Accreditation, the Association, the early childhood profession, and most of all, for the young children and families we serve. The new program standards and performance criteria build on the history of the Association, and on the vision proposed by the Reinvention Commission in 2002: NAEYC Accreditation–and NAEYC-accredited programs–can lead the way to higher quality.

Since it was created 20 years ago, the NAEYC Accreditation system has been a source of pride—for programs that achieve NAEYC Accreditation, for the families they serve, and for the early childhood profession as a whole. These program standards and criteria will be a source of pride for all of us for many years to come.