For Immediate Release

August 14, 2025                                                                                                                                                                                   

WASHINGTON —

The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs is pleased to announce that it has granted first-time accreditation to programs at six institutions and granted renewed accreditation to programs at ten institutions during its summer 2025 meeting. There are currently 181 accredited programs across 35 states, with over 100 additional programs currently in self-study. 

Early childhood professional preparation programs serve a wide range of students and prepare early childhood educators for a variety of early learning settings. Accreditation serves as a mechanism for ensuring a consistent and high level of program quality and alignment to the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators while respecting the unique mission and context of each degree program, its host institution, and its community.

"The Commission congratulates these programs for leading the early childhood professional preparation field in being among some of the first to pioneer a new set of accreditation standards," said Tiffany Hunter, Chair of the Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs. "Their hard work reflects their commitment to preparing early childhood educators who will provide high-quality early learning and care for each and every young child."

To earn and retain accreditation, professional preparation programs must demonstrate that they:

• Meet NAEYC’s Higher Education Accreditation Standards;
• Respond to the unique needs of their degree candidates and communities;
• Provide intentional learning experiences aligned to the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators for their degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective; and,
• Continuously assess and reflect on their degree candidates’ performance.

The following programs have been granted renewed accreditation:

• Bates Technical College (WA) – A.A.S.T. Early Childhood Education
• Ivy Tech Community College - Columbus (IN) – A.S. Early Childhood; A.A.S. Early Childhood
• Ivy Tech Community College - Indianapolis (IN) – A.S. Early Childhood; A.A.S. Early Childhood
• Ivy Tech Community College - Sellersburg (IN) – A.S. Early Childhood; A.A.S. Early Childhood
• Ivy Tech Community College – South Bend (IN) – A.S. Early Childhood; A.A.S. Early Childhood
• Ivy Tech Community College – Terre Haute (IN) – A.S. Early Childhood; A.A.S. Early Childhood
• Milwaukee Area Technical College (WI) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Monroe County Community College (MI) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Portland Community College (OR) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (AR) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Development

For more information, visit the NAEYC Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation system website. To download a printable copy of this release, click here.