The NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards
Coherent, evidence-based standards for the preparation of early childhood professionals are a powerful tool that act as signposts pointing the way to our desired goals for emerging professionals. NAEYC developed and supports professional preparation standards in five key areas that serve as widely held expectations about what early childhood professionals know and are able to do as they work with young children from birth through age 8.
The standards for Initial-licensure programs were revised and approved in 2001, and the standards and Essential Tools for advanced programs were revised and approved in 2002.
The standards apply to all levels of preparation for institutions of higher education--associates, baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degree levels. Programs at each level work to ensure their students or "candidates" have mastered the competencies in each of the five areas, with differences expected in depth and breadth of competencies for respective levels. In addition to mastering the standards, candidates in associate degree programs also must master competencies in NAEYC-determined Supporting Skills, and candidates in advanced-level graduate programs must master competencies in NAEYC-determined Essential Tools.
The standards are useful for improving and monitoring the quality of all college-level programs, and lie at the heart of the accreditation process for those institutions that choose to apply for accreditation.
 The complete collection of NAEYC professional preparation standards and other resources can be found in Preparing Early Childhood Professionals: NAEYC's Standards for Programs.
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