The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs is currently seeking additional members for terms that begin January 1, 2026 and conclude December 31, 2028.

What is NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation? NAEYC is the sole accreditor of early childhood degree programs within institutions of higher education. Using research informed, consensus-developed standards for ECE professional preparation program quality, NAEYC recognizes programs for meeting these standards. You can learn more about NAEYC higher education accreditation here.

What is the Commission? The Commission is the governance body that sets the standards and policies for the accreditation system and renders the accreditation decisions. Commission members primarily represent early childhood leaders from early childhood degree programs and institutions of higher education. The composition of the Commission reflects NAEYC’s commitment to being a high-performing, inclusive organization. The Commission is committed to assuring that its composition (1) includes individuals with a range of experience that support the mission and responsibilities of the Commission and the accreditation process; and (2) reflects the diversity of its constituency with specific attention to culture and ethnicity, language, geographic location, and gender.

What does a Commissioner do? The majority of a Commissioner’s time is focused on reviewing accreditation cases. Preparation for Commission meetings include review and critical assessment of programs’ Self-Study Reports, Peer Review Team Reports, Written Responses to the team report, and Responses to Conditions. Preparing for an in-person Commission meeting may take approximately 25-30 hours (this includes reviewing program cases, writing draft decisions, and reviewing materials for other topics on the agenda). Post-Commission meeting work may take approximately five hours to finalize decision reports for assigned cases. In addition, Commissioners are expected to conduct business between meetings related to their standing committee work.

Prior to Commission meetings, each Commissioner is assigned to a panel of 3-4 individuals. Each person is assigned to be the lead reviewer for 1-3 cases (approx. 4-8 prep hours per case) depending on the meeting caseload and posts preliminary findings and recommendations prior to the start of the meeting. Panelists are expected to respond to the lead reviewer’s findings and recommendations. Commissioners utilize an online platform to conduct business, including posting and responding to preliminary findings and recommendations for assigned accreditation cases. On average, it might take ~30 hours to prepare for a 3-day Commission meeting and ~15 hours to prepare for a one-day meeting.

Other responsibilities include contributing to the review and revision of accreditation policies and procedures to support the continuous improvement of the accreditation system.

How long does a Commissioner serve? How often does the Commission meet? Commissioners serve for a three-year term and are limited to two consecutive terms. Commission members commit to attend two 3-day meetings a year at NAEYC Headquarters (typically February and June) and to participate in half-day online meetings (typically May and November); and to actively serve as a member of at least one Commission standing committee.

Are there particular qualifications Commissioners must have? Below we describe important professional qualifications and personal characteristics that contribute to Commissioners being able to successfully carry out their responsibilities.

Professional Criteria: The ideal candidate has: a demonstrated commitment to the aims of early childhood teacher education at higher education institutions; an understanding of the nature of program accreditation systems; prior or current professional experience related to early childhood professional preparation; experience working in an institution that is an MSI, HSI, HBCU or institution that serves large populations of students of color and/or students who are English language learners; experience implementing policies and practices that have advanced DEIB in professional or personal work; experience using the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators; and knowledge of NAEYC’s higher education accreditation system.

Personal Criteria: The ideal candidate has demonstrated ability to: work and make decisions in a close collegial environment; consider information and data impartially to make rational and timely decisions; communicate information succinctly and clearly in writing; and concentrate on issues which are complex, challenging and sometimes tedious.

In addition, the individual must have the capacity to read large volumes of accreditation reports in a condensed period of time. Typically, Commissioners have approximately 3-4 weeks to review their assigned lead and panel cases and create draft accreditation decisions prior to Commission meetings. Cases involving initial or renewal accreditation can run 150-200 pages a case (Self-Study Report, Peer Review Report and the program’s Written Response), and cases involving programs on conditions can run 30-60 pages a case (Annual Report and sometimes the program’s previous Commission Feedback Letters and Accreditation Decision Reports).

Is there other important information I should know about serving on the Commission?

As a Commission we try to schedule our meetings a year out. Here is our 2026 meeting schedule.

• February 18-20, 2026, Washington DC
• May 15, 2026, 1:00-4:00 EST – This will be a virtual meeting
• June 15-17, 2026, Washington DC
• November or December TBD 2026 – This will be a virtual meeting

The Commission is a volunteer entity, and, as such, Commissioners do not receive compensation for their service. Travel and other direct costs related to attending regular, special or committee meetings, workshops or site visits are paid by NAEYC.

Depending on your institution, tenure on the Commission can count toward service or scholarship institutional requirements.

How do I apply? Interested individuals should submit their resume and a brief statement describing their interest and qualifications (no more than 500 words) to [email protected] by Oct 20, 2025. Applicants are encouraged to review the Accreditation Handbook and Commission Handbook as well as the Commission Culture Commitments below. Given the time commitment required of each Commissioner, we encourage you to discuss this opportunity with your leadership to ensure you have the full support of your institution/employer.

For questions, please contact Mary Harrill at [email protected] or (202) 350-8834.

Commission Culture Commitments 

The Commission and Accreditation Handbooks provide significant guidance on the accreditation process as well as the policies and practices that undergird the system and the Commission’s work.¹ In addition, we recognize that as an organization we have a distinct culture that is sometimes visible and sometimes invisible.  In the spirit of transparency, following is an attempt to make visible key cultural values and practices of the Commission. 

We value maintaining unity and trust in our work.

•  We trust that each of us operates with good intentions and in the best interest of our purpose as a Commission 
•  We value honest, open and respectful communication with each other 
•  We respect that each of us brings significant professional experiences that can inform and advance our shared understanding of the accreditation standards, early childhood programs, and the accreditation system 
•  We value the diversity of our group, which includes but is not limited to past and current personal and professional experiences, institutions which members are serving, and the variety of opinions of each Commissioner 
•  We promote diversity as an asset by including opportunities to engage in deliberation, naming cultural and geographic norms, and disrupting systemic inequities that our review process reveals 
•  We appreciate and actively solicit differing perspectives on issues and cases that come before the Commission and recognize that there may be times when we disagree on a decision 
•  To the extent possible, though, we work toward reaching consensus in making accreditation decisions 

We expect that each of us will come prepared to the Commission meeting. 

•  We recognize the value of our work together in panels to review cases. Working in panels allows each case to have multiple individuals reviewing it and contributes to Commissioners having manageable caseloads. Panels’ work together is grounded in trust (as articulated in the section above), and panel members support each other in their reviews  
•  We fulfill our responsibilities and meet deadlines related to our work.  If we are unable to meet a deadline, we are up front with our colleagues and work to fulfill our assignments as soon as possible after the deadline 
  •  Out of respect for the time our colleagues block off to review cases and to ensure there is adequate time for all cases to be thoroughly reviewed, we submit our draft recommendations for accreditation cases in Basecamp by the published deadline 
  •  We review and provide feedback on our panel’s cases in Basecamp by the published deadline 
•  We proactively seek help from our panels and other Commissioners if we have questions about our cases, need others to weigh in on issues related to the case, or need additional assistance or support 
•  For our panel’s assigned cases, we identify the questions, concerns or other issues that we need to address when our panel meets prior to and/or during the Commission meeting   
•  We are familiar with all of the cases on the Commission agenda 
  •  Before we vote on a case we have read its Discussion and Decision Guide (including cases on the consent agenda). For cases where there are significant questions/concerns (such as for potential adverse cases), we review their Self-Study Reports, Peer Review Reports and Written Responses as needed 
•  We bring a laptop to the in-person meetings or printed copies of all materials related to accreditation cases so that we have access to all documents that can inform accreditation decisions 

We foster a collegial atmosphere to facilitate our work. 

•  We build relationships with each other and value opportunities to socialize outside of the meeting, including the Commission Dinner at the in-person meeting, if at all possible  
•  We recognize that being engaged at meetings is critical to our work and to building relationships with each other 
  •  We commit to attend every Commission meeting, both online and in person 
  •  We participate fully while we are at the meetings  
    •  We focus on the case that is under discussion  
    •  We manage our email and phone calls during the breaks in the meeting 
•  We offer and receive feedback from colleagues (whether on documents such as DDGs as well as in Basecamp and meeting deliberations) in a constructive and supportive manner  
•  The Commission and staff work in partnership to support each other 

We commit to upholding the Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education Position Statement in our work with each other and in leading the accreditation system. 

•  We regularly reflect on our individual culture, personal beliefs, values, and biases and how they influence our interactions with each other and decision-making with regard to our role as a Commissioner.
•  We regularly reflect on our Commission culture, beliefs, values, and biases and how they influence our decision-making as an accrediting body  
•  We take responsibility for biased actions, even if unintended, and actively work to repair the harm  
•  We seek to identify and address ways in which the accreditation system and our work as a Commission may be in conflict with the tenets of the Advancing Equity Position Statement  
•  We are committed to disrupting systemic inequities that our review process reveals  

¹ The Commission abides by the policies in the Accreditation and Commission Handbooks. In particular, the Code of Ethics (Commission Handbook) describes the behaviors and expectations for how Commissioners will conduct themselves individually and collectively while conducting the business of the Commission. If needed, the complaints policy (Accreditation Handbook) provides the process for managing concerns that may arise while Commissioners conduct business.