Additional Verification | National Association for the Education of Young Children | NAEYC Academy

Verification Visit Protocol
Verification Visit Pre-Visit Protocol
Sample Verification Visit Forms
Additional Verification FAQs

The NAEYC Academy follows established policy to ensure that its accredited programs maintain compliance with the NAEYC Accreditation Standards and Criteria. In order to fulfill this obligation, all NAEYC-Accredited programs may be subject to Additional Verification at any time during their 5-year accreditation term.

NAEYC requires a program to submit to additional verification when information suggests that its ability to maintain compliance with the NAEYC Accreditation Standards and Criteria is in question. Additional Verification may be required based on information received from:

Annual Report
Self Report
Site Visit
Candidacy Materials
Complaint

If information received from any of the above listed sources suggest that a violation of a Required Criterion may have occurred in a program seeking or maintaining NAEYC Accreditation, the NAEYC Academy will conduct a review in accordance with the required criteria policy

Additional Verification may be obtained through any of the following:

Additional Documentation submitted by the program

Additional written documentation may include copies of license and/or recent reports, information about experience in other accredited programs, content of training units, teaching staff or family surveys, and responding to additional criteria as applicable.

Verification Interview conducted by NAEYC staff members

If additional questions arise, the NAEYC Academy may require verbal interviews as supplemental evidence to additional written documentation.

Verification Visit conducted by NAEYC Assessor

Verification visits may be triggered when the program’s compliance with the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria cannot be fully and satisfactorily explained through written documentation or verbal interviews.
During a verification visit, the NAEYC Assessor(s) will evaluate your program through observation and a review of documentation related to required criteria, which are fundamental to program quality. Portfolio and Survey evidence will not be reviewed during a verification visit.
Following a verification visit, a program will maintain its NAEYC Accreditation if it demonstrates that all observed groups are meeting at least 70% of assessed criteria and all Required Criteria are met.
Specific circumstances determine if a verification visit is needed, if the program will incur the cost of a verification visit, and if the program will receive any notification prior to the verification visit.

The results of Additional Verification will determine the program's next steps in the accreditation process.