Standard 2: NAEYC Accreditation Criteria for Curriculum

The following chart presents the accreditation criteria for this topic area. Each criterion provides specific details to guide program plans, policies and practices. The criteria are numbered (01, 02, 03, etc.) within their topic area. Each criterion within each program standard is identified by its relevant age group (or groups). Many criteria are identified as "universal" (U), meaning that all classrooms and programs pursuing NAEYC Accreditation must address these criteria. These aspects of quality should be seen in any programs or classrooms serving birth through kindergarten, though they may look somewhat different in practice depending on the children's age.

Age Groups:
U = universal
I = infant
T = toddlers/twos
P = preschool
K = kindergarten

2.L.
Curriculum Content Area for Cognitive Development: Social Studies

2.L.01
U   I   T   P   K
Children are provided varied learning opportunities that foster positive identity and an emerging sense of self and others.

2.L.02
T   P   K
Children are offered opportunities to become a part of the classroom community so that each child feels accepted and gains a sense of belonging

2.L.03
T   P   K
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to build their understanding of diversity in culture, family structure, ability, language, age, and gender in non-stereotypical ways.

2.L.04
T   P   K
Children are provided opportunities and materials to explore social roles in the family and workplace through play.

2.L.05
T   P   K
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to learn about the community in which they live.

2.L.06
P   K
Children have varied opportunities to engage in discussions about fairness, friendship, responsibility, authority, and differences.

2.L.07
P   K
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to learn about physical characteristics of their local environment as a foundation for learning geography.

2.L.08
P   K
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials to learn how people affect their environment in positive (e.g., recycling) and negative (e.g., polluting) ways.

2.L.09
P   K
Children are provided varied opportunities and materials that allow them to contribute to the well-being of their classroom and the community, including care for the social and physical environments in which they live.

2.L.10
P   K
Children are provided opportunities and materials that build a foundation for understanding economic concepts (e.g., playing restaurant, managing a store, and identifying and exchanging money.)

2.L.11
K
Kindergartners are provided opportunities and materials that help them link learning about their hometown, their state, the United States and their country of origin to previous learning, as a foundation for learning geography, history, and social studies.