Resources for Programs Pursuing NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation
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The NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation Handbook, Standards, and Resource Library
As your program works to achieve or maintain accreditation, the NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation Handbook, Higher Education Accreditation Standards, and online resource library will be your primary resources for policies, procedures, and other relevant guidelines. You can also check out and bookmark "The Latest," our blog-like feed of timely and relevant higher education updates.
Higher Education Accreditation Handbook
The NAEYC Accreditation Handbook is available as a PDF document. Programs are encouraged to thoroughly review the policies within, and to ensure they are always referring to the most recent published version (last updated April 2024).
Higher Education Accreditation Standards
Learn more about the 2021 release of Ensuring Quality in Early Childhood Education Professional Preparation Programs: NAEYC’s Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation Standards.
Higher Education Online Resource Library
The online resource library is the go-to hub for templates, forms, on-demand trainings, guidance documents, standards and policies, and more. Access information is sent via email to primary and secondary program contacts, peer reviewers, and Commissioners. Please contact [email protected] if you fit one of these roles and have misplaced or not received this email.
Accreditation Fees
Programs seeking and maintaining accreditation submit the following fees (as of August 1, 2023; subject to change). Please note, all electronic and paper payments should reference the program's invoice number to ensure the payment is applied to the appropriate account and fee:
- Application and eligibility review ($600; due with program applications for eligibility)
- Accreditation review ($1,800 if submitting one program, $2,400 if submitting more than one program; due with initial Self-Study Report on March 31 or September 30)
- Site visit ($6,500*; due after Self-Study Report is approved and by July 31 for visits the following fall or December 15 for visits the following spring)
- Annual fee ($1,800 for one program, $2,400 for more than one program; due on March 31 each year following accreditation decision. On the rare occasion when program circumstances (not NAEYC circumstances) require a program to extend its candidacy beyond one year, the program will pay an annual fee to maintain its candidacy status.)
- Late fee for late reports and/or fees ($150; due for Annual Reports, Renewal Self-Study Reports, and/or respective fees more than two weeks late for which a formal extension request was not submitted)
- Appeals fee ($500; refundable if appeals panel decides in favor of program)
*Site visit fee covers all direct costs (including peer reviewers' airfare and hotel) and administrative costs associated with the site visit. Higher fees may apply in Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories or in special circumstances requiring a longer-than-usual visit or larger reviewer team.
Professional Development Opportunities
Become a Peer Reviewer
Faculty members seeking to learn more about the accreditation process and to give back to the early childhood field often find that becoming a volunteer peer reviewer is a valuable form of professional development. Peer reviewers in the Higher Education Accreditation system review the Self-Study Reports of early childhood higher education programs seeking accreditation and travel in small teams to conduct site visits of programs. To learn more about this professional development opportunity, please visit our peer reviewer page.
NAEYC Annual Conference Workshops and Sessions
NAEYC Higher Education staff organize separate-fee workshops prior to NAEYC’s Annual Conference designed for faculty interested in learning more about NAEYC Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs. Presenters include faculty from successfully accredited and recognized programs, peer reviewers, Commissioners, and NAEYC staff. Other sessions on higher education accreditation for those already engaged in the process are held over the course of these conferences as well.
Free Webinars for Programs
Throughout the year, NAEYC conducts webinars for programs preparing to submit their Self-Study Report or Annual Report, or preparing for renewal of accreditation. Programs' primary contacts are sent email invitations to join these webinars and are encouraged to participate to keep informed of the latest updates and tips.
Fee-based On-Site and Virtual Training Sessions
For programs that cannot attend NAEYC's conference, other training formats are also available. Options range from full-day on-site trainings for individual programs or statewide groups of colleges interested in or pursuing accreditation, to a single webinar or webinar series targeting specific topics of interest. Costs for on-site and virtual trainings vary and depend on the format and location. If you are interested in hosting a training, we encourage you to reach out to [email protected] to begin the conversation. [Note: Staff and facilitators are unable to consult with programs on their specific assessments, rubrics, or other aspects of program design; trainings will focus only on accreditation requirements, best practices, and hands-on exercises using sample materials.]
Accreditation Newsletter Archive
Primary and secondary contacts of programs deemed eligible to begin Self-Study will be added to our approximately-quarterly accreditation newsletter list. This newsletter is intended to provide important updates and reminders on policies, templates, professional development opportunities, and more. If you are serving as a primary or secondary contact and believe you have not been receiving these emails, please contact us at [email protected] to confirm you are on our list. While you are welcome to share these emails with other faculty within your institution who assist with the accreditation process, please note that many links direct to our online resource library, for which only primary and secondary contacts have password-protected access. If others in your institution need access to the resources listed in these newsletters, please feel free to download the resources from the resource library and share them directly with your colleagues rather than sharing login information.
Below is an archive of the most recent year's newsletters.
[Note: This newsletter archive is provided as a convenience to programs pursuing or maintaining accreditation, but please keep in mind the time-sensitive nature of newsletters. Policies, templates, procedures, or resources mentioned in prior editions of this newsletter may no longer be applicable as time passes and further updates to the system are made. The online resource library and currently-published version of the Accreditation Handbook on the NAEYC website are always the best places to check for the most up-to-date templates and policies. If you have questions about which template, handbook, or resource is most current, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I’m a program coordinator at an accredited program. When should we be starting to think about renewal?
Congratulations on your program’s demonstration of quality and commitment to continuous improvement! A term of accreditation expires seven years after the original accreditation decision—so programs should plan to submit Interim Reports in years 2 and 4, followed by a renewal Self-Study Report in Year 6, in order to have a site visit and an accreditation decision within that seven-year period. Hopefully, through the process of preparing Interim Reports, a program is always working toward renewal to some extent—but the focus intensifies during the year that you prepare the renewal Self-Study Report, and in the period afterward when you prepare for the site visit.
Sometimes, questions about the timeline come up when a program was initially accredited for a two-year period and then had conditions removed. If you are uncertain about your program’s individual timeline for renewal, please feel free to contact us anytime!
Q. I’m a new program coordinator at an accredited program or a program that is in self-study. What resources can help me transition into my new role?
Congratulations on your new role! We look forward to supporting you! As a starting place, please complete and return this Contact Information Update Form, along with any needed attachments. This will enable us to update our records and grant you access to the online resource library. We also encourage you to contact us to schedule a time to talk with NAEYC staff about where your program is in the process and how we can be most supportive.
Q. I'm having trouble accessing the online resource library.
If you are the primary or secondary contact at an accredited program or a program that has been deemed eligible to begin self-study (or if you're an active peer reviewer or Commissioner) and you have not received or cannot locate the email with access information, please contact us and we can help.
Q. I would like to work with others in my state who are also pursuing accreditation. Does NAEYC provide on-site training for groups of programs?
Absolutely! We encourage you to reach out to [email protected] to begin the conversation; staff or trained facilitators may be able to travel to meet with programs in person, and/or connect via webinar. We look forward to learning how we can support your efforts! (Please note that staff and facilitators are unable to consult programs on their specific assessments, rubrics, or other aspects of program design; trainings will focus only on accreditation requirements, best practices, and hands-on exercises using sample materials.)
Training opportunities are also available each year at NAEYC's Annual Conference.