Steps and Requirements to achieve NAEYC Accreditation

• Site visit
• Accreditation Decisions - Accredit, Defer, Deny
• Maintaining NAEYC Accreditation/Annual Reports, Self-Reports, Unannounced Visits, etc.
• Annual Report
• Random Unannounced Visits
• Self-Report of Changes
• Verification Policy
• Pursuing Reaccreditation
• Attention! Important information for programs accredited under 1998 criteria!
• Changes to a program's accredited status

Site Visit - Provided that a program successfully meets Candidacy Requirements, NAEYC Assessors will conduct an on-site visit within six months of a program’s Candidacy Due Date.  Programs should continue to refine the work completed during Self Assessment while they wait to be contacted within their six month visit timeframe.  Once the assessor contacts the program to set up a scheduling window in which the visit will occur, the program will provide the assessor with exclusion days in which the program is not available for a visit.  Programs receive two exclusion days for each month of the scheduling window provided. Any major religious holidays the program observes should be conveyed to the assessor, but will not count as exclusion days.  Visits will not be scheduled on Federal holidays.

Purpose:

To provide an independent assessment that the program fully meets NAEYC’s Early Childhood Program Standards.

• During the site visit by NAEYC Assessors, the program must:
• Meet all required criteria.
• Meet each of the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards. This is demonstrated by:
• Satisfactory performance on at least 80 percent of each standard’s associated Accreditation Criteria upon which the program is assessed, and
• No classroom falls below 70 percent of each standard’s associated Accreditation Criteria upon which the program is assessed.
• Each classroom observed during the on-site visit must demonstrate satisfactory performance on at least 70 percent of each standard’s associated Accreditation Criteria upon which the program is assessed.
• Site Visit Protocol
• In order to ensure transparency about the site visit and the assessor’s role, the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation is providing details regarding assessor protocols. The following documents are part of NAEYC’s Assessor Protocol Manual and are used by the assessor during the site visit. Program Administrators should review these materials as preparation for their site visit.
• Site Visit Protocol for visits before March 1, 2008
• Required Criteria Documentation Form
• Candidacy Requirements Form
• Process Verification Form
• Missing Criteria Request Form
• Site Visit Protocol for visits after March 1, 2008
• NEW! Verification of License/Regulatory Status
• NEW! Fax Cover Sheet for Staff Changes on Day of Site Visit
• First Aid/CPR Acknowledgment Form
• First Aid/CPR Follow-up Documentation Required
• Site Visit Process Verification Form
• Missing Evidence Request Form
• Administrator Evaluation of the Site Visit
• NAEYC Accreditation Decisions and Next Steps

Accreditation Decisions – After the site visit, NAEYC will inform the program of its Accreditation Decision:  Accredited, Deferred or Denied.

• Accredited Programs: Sustain quality over the five-year term as documented through annual reports, reports of program changes, and results of unannounced visits, if randomly selected, and pay applicable fees. See section below titled Maintaining NAEYC  Accreditation.
• Deferred:  The assessment scores indicate that the program could make improvements within a short period of time and meet the 10 Program Standards.  These programs will be offered the option to re-submit new Candidacy materials with a new candidacy due date.
• Denied:  The assessment scores indicate that the program needs a longer period of time to make the necessary improvements to meet all 10 Program Standards.  These programs are offered the option to continue towards NAEYC Accreditation by submitting a new Application and completing Steps 2 and 3 again.

Maintaining NAEYC Accreditation – Your program has worked hard to achieve NAEYC Accreditation and we applaud you.  An NAEYC-accredited program is the mark of quality in early childhood education - display your NAEYC accreditation certificate with pride!    

Annual Report - NAEYC-accredited programs are required to submit Annual Reports on the first, second, third, and fourth anniversary of accreditation (refer to your accreditation certificate for the exact anniversary date). The NAEYC Academy will not accept Annual Reports earlier than two (2) calendar months prior to the anniversary date and no later than two (2) calendar months after the anniversary date. Please be advised that failure to submit an Annual Report and applicable fees by the anniversary deadlines will result in the withdrawal of your program's NAEYC Accreditation. There is no Annual Report due on the 5th anniversary because the program is in the process of reaccreditation, and getting ready for its site visit.

 Maintaining Candidacy Requirements throughout your program's NAEYC Accreditation term:

The Council for NAEYC Accreditation adopted a policy for programs accredited AFTER September 15, 2006 to meet and maintain candidacy requirements throughout their NAEYC Accreditation term. The NAEYC Academy requires these programs to report on the candidacy requirements in the Annual Report.

The policy states that programs report on the Candidacy Requirements in their Annual Report and that if they fall below the requirement, additional verification may be required. Examples of additional verification may include providing documentation about hiring practices or training available at the program, an interview with the administrator to discuss plans and strategy related to the requirements, or an additional site visit to ensure the program is still meeting the Standards. Click here for more information on NAEYC's verification policy.

At this time, programs that were accredited BEFORE September 15, 2006 are not required to meet candidacy requirements (including the licensing/regulatory requirement) until they pursue reaccreditation. (To get started on the reaccreditation process, read about timelines for currently accredited programs.

For FAQs about Annual Report, click here.
Download Annual Report in PDF || Word formats
	Please note: The Annual Report form has been revised to address the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria effective September 16, 2006. Therefore, the NAEYC Academy will no longer accept the Annual Report form addressing the 1998 edition of the criteria.

Random Unannounced Visits - All NAEYC-accredited programs are eligible to be randomly selected, by a system generated tool, for unannounced visits during their 5 year term of accreditation. Unannounced visits will be conducted using the 2005 Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria as measures.

Programs that have not gone through initial accreditation or reaccreditation using the 2005 Standards and Criteria are not expected to have completed Program and Classroom Portfolios. The Unannounced Visits are an abbreviated version of the initial/ reaccreditation site visit and will consist of classroom observations, classroom tours, and the required criteria. Therefore, the decision will be based on no classroom falling below 70% and meeting the required criteria.

• FAQs about Random Unannounced Visits  

Self-Report of Changes – It is the program’s responsibility to inform the NAEYC Academy of any major changes to the program within 90 days. Some examples of major changes include, but are not limited to: change in licensing status, substantiated complaints, new ownership or administrator, change in location, severe damage to the building and grounds, adding a new age group previously unserved, and increasing the number of classrooms within an age group. If the change occurs within 90 days before the Annual Report due date, the program will report this change on the Annual Report. If the change occurs during a time of the year when the Annual Report is not due, the program must complete the NAEYC Academy Accredited Program Self Report form and email the information to qualityassurance@naeyc.org Failure to report these changes within 90 days will result in the program being required to submit to additional verification, which may include a site visit. For more information on the Verification Policy click here.

Pursuing Reaccreditation – programs pursuing reaccreditation must submit their new materials on time to avoid a lapse in their accreditation.

• Information about the 4 Step Process 
• Timeline for currently accredited programs

What Programs that were accredited under the 1998 accreditation criteria (those accredited prior to September 16, 2006) need to know:
As of September 16, 2006, two major changes were made to NAEYC Accreditation.  First, the system itself has changed; there are now four steps to the process and there are new forms, terminology and deadlines.  The second change pertains to the criteria.  The system is now based on the NAEYC Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria, which were developed over a five-year period and are intended to raise the bar of quality early childhood education. 

How do these changes affect your program? 

• The NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria are effective September 16, 2006 and your program will be required to meet these standards. This means that all programs will submit Annual Reports after September 16, 2006 that show that they meet these standards and criteria. Unannounced visits conducted after September 16, 2006 will be conducted using these program standards and criteria as measures. Please note: under NAEYC’s Accreditation  system, programs must demonstrate that they meet 80% of the criteria within each standard and meet specific required criteria – to meet the required criterion related to pediatric first aid, programs accredited under the 1998 Accreditation Criteria (prior to September 15, 2006) may demonstrate that a training session in pediatric first aid is scheduled for the program’s staff.
• The NAEYC Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria are available in the publication NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria, the NAEYC Self Study Kit, or NAEYC’s website at www.naeyc.org.
• The system to pursue reaccreditation is different. Programs will follow the same four steps to achieve accreditation, both those working on accreditation for the first time and those that are currently accredited and are seeking reaccreditation.  The system has strict timelines that programs must follow, which will allow NAEYC to make sure that site visits are on time.   Click here for further information on the Four Steps.
• It is the program’s responsibility to know when their program’s accreditation expires, and to follow the timelines and submission deadlines to make sure that they complete each of the steps in the process. Failure to follow these deadlines will result in a lapse in the program’s accreditation

The NAEYC Academy Appeals Process

The Council for NAEYC Accreditation provides a formal appeal process for programs that receive the following decisions from the NAEYC Academy:

• Deferral, Denial, or Revocation of Accreditation
• Denial of Candidacy
• Denial of Extension Request
• Required Verification Visit

The appeal process is available to currently accredited programs or programs seeking accreditation. The Council only reviews appeals that meet the guidelines established in this document.

NOTE: Dissatisfaction with the decision is not sufficient grounds for an appeal.

Click here for more information.

Changes to a program's accredited status

Information on programs' NAEYC Accreditation status:

The list of NAEYC Accredited programs is updated with new accreditation decisions on the fifth (5th) day of every month.

Throughout a program's five (5) year NAEYC Accreditation term, certain events and circumstances related to the program may change its NAEYC Accreditation status. Before a program's NAEYC Accreditation status is changed, the NAEYC Academy strives to conduct a fair and impartial review of all supporting materials. To accommodate the length of time needed for the review, changes (if applicable) to a program’s NAEYC Accreditation status are posted to the website within three (3) months.

For these reasons, we encourage families to verify a program's accreditation through the NAEYC Academy's Accredited Program Search.

Programs are encouraged to read additional information on this topic, which may be found in the Maintaining Accreditation section of the NAEYC Academy website.