Standard 3: NAEYC Accreditation Criteria for Teaching

Program Standard: The program uses developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches that enhance each child’s learning and development in the context of the program’s curriculum goals.

Rationale: Teaching staff (see the box “Definition of Teaching staff and Teacher”) who purposefully use multiple instructional approaches optimize children’s opportunities for learning. These approaches include strategies that range from structured to unstructured and from adult-directed to child-directed. Children bring to learning environments different backgrounds, interests, experiences, learning styles, needs, and capacities. Teachers’ consideration of these differences when selecting and implementing instructional approaches helps all children succeed. Instructional approaches also differ in their effectiveness for teaching different elements of curriculum and learning. For a program to address the complexity inherent in any teaching-learning situation, it must use a variety of effective instructional approaches. In classrooms and groups that include teacher assistants or teacher aides and specialized teaching and support staff, the expectation is that these teaching staff work as a team. Whether one teacher works alone or whether a team works together, the instructional approach creates a teaching environment that supports children’s positive learning and development across all areas.

Definition of Teaching staff and Teacher: Throughout the accreditation criteria and self-study materials, teaching staff is used to refer to all members of the teaching team, including all teachers, teaching assistants and assistant teachers. Teacher refers to the individual assuming primary teaching responsibility.

Within each of the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards are topic areas that highlight the big ideas to more fully express the meaning and value of the standard. Each topic area includes criteria that further define the meaning of quality in that area. The topic areas are identified by letters (A, B, C, etc.). The number of topic areas within a standard varies. The following chart presents the topic areas for this standard. Click on the topic area to link to the accreditation criteria.

Topic Area

3.A.
Designing Enriched Learning Environments

3.B.
Creating Caring Communities for Learning

3.C.
Supervising Children

3.D.
Using Time, Grouping, and Routines to Achieve Learning Goals

3.E.
Responding to Children’s Interests and Needs

3.F.
Making Learning Meaningful for All Children

3.G.
Using Instruction to Deepen Children’s Understanding and Build Their Skills and Knowledge