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NAEYC has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards.

Based on research on the development and education of young children, the standards were created with input from experts and educators from around the country. The standards define what NAEYC-the world's largest organization of early childhood professionals-believes all early childhood programs should provide.

Review this guide to help identify programs that meet NAEYC standards for high-quality programs.

The Standards

The program promotes positive relationships among all children and adults. It encourages each child's sense of individual worth and belonging as part of a community and fosters each child's ability to
contribute as a responsible community member.

Warm, sensitive, and responsive relationships help children feel secure. The safe and secure environments built by positive relationships help children thrive physically, benefit from learning experiences, and cooperate and get along with others.

What to look for in a program:

Children and adults feel welcome when they visit the program. Teachers help new children adjust to the program environment and make friends with other children.

Teaching staff engage in warm, friendly conversations with the children and encourage and recognize children's work and accomplishments.

Children are encouraged to play and work together.

Teachers help children resolve conflicts by identifying feelings, describing problems, and trying alternative solutions. Teaching staff never physically punish children.

The program implements a curriculum that is consistent with its goals for children and promotes learning and development in each of the following areas: social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive.

A well-planned written curriculum provides a guide for teachers and administrators. It helps them work together and balance different activities and approaches to maximize children's learning and development. The curriculum includes goals for the content that children are learning, planned activities linked to these goals, daily schedules and routines, and materials to be used.

NAEYC and the NAEYC Accreditation system do not prescribe a specific curriculum; programs can design their own or choose a commercially available curriculum that meets NAEYC's guidelines.

What to look for in a program:

Ask about the program's curriculum and how it addresses all aspects of child development. The curriculum should not focus on just one area of development.

Children are given opportunities to learn and develop through exploration and play, and teachers have opportunities to work with individual children and small groups on specific skills.

Materials and equipment spark children's interest and encourage them to experiment and learn.

Activities are designed to help children get better at reasoning, solving problems, getting along with others, using language, and developing other skills.

Infants and toddlers play with toys and art materials that "do something" based on children's actions, such as jack-in-the-box, cups that fit inside one another, and playdough.

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 curriculum goals.

Children have different learning styles, needs, capacities, interests, and backgrounds. By recognizing these differences and using instructional approaches that are appropriate for each child, teachers and staff help all children learn.

What to look for in a program:

Teachers carefully supervise all children.

Teachers provide time each day for indoor and outdoor activities (weather permitting) and organize time and space so that children have opportunities to work or play individually and in groups.

Children's recent work (for example, art and emergent writing) is displayed in the classroom to help children reflect on and extend their learning.

Teachers modify strategies and materials to respond to the needs and interests of individual children, engaging each child and enhancing learning.

The program is informed by ongoing systematic, formal, and informal assessment approaches to provide information on children's learning and development. These assessments occur within the context of reciprocal communications with families and with sensitivity to the cultural contexts in which children develop.

Assessment results benefit children by informing sound decisions, teaching, and program improvement.

Assessments help teachers plan appropriately challenging curriculum and tailor instruction that responds to each child's strengths and needs. Assessments can also help teachers identify children with disabilities and ensuring that they receive needed services.

What to look for in a program:

The program supports children's learning using a variety of assessment methods, such as observations, checklists, and rating scales.

Assessment methods are appropriate for each child's age and level of development and encompass all areas of development, including math, science, and other cognitive skills; language; social-emotional; and physical.

Teachers use assessment methods and information to design goals for individual children and monitor their progress, as well as to improve the program and its teaching strategies.

Families receive information about their child's development and learning on a regular basis, including through meetings or conferences.

The program promotes the nutrition and health of children and protects children and staff from illness and injury. Children must be healthy and safe in order to learn and grow. Programs must be healthy and safe to support children's healthy development.

What to look for in a program:

Teaching staff have training in pediatric first aid.

Infants are placed on their backs to sleep.

The program has policies regarding regular hand washing and routinely cleans and sanitizes all surfaces in the facility.

There is a clear plan for responding to illness, including how to decide whether a child needs to go home and how families will be notified.

Snacks and meals are nutritious, and food is prepared and stored safely.

The program employs and supports a teaching staff with the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children's learning and development and to support families' diverse needs and interests.

Teachers who have specific preparation, knowledge, and skills in child development and early childhood education are more likely to provide positive interactions, richer language experiences, and quality learning environments.

What to look for in a program:

Teaching staff have educational qualifications and specialized knowledge about young children and early childhood development. Ask, for example, how many teachers have Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials, associate's degrees, or higher degrees.

The program makes provisions for ongoing staff development, including orientations for new staff and opportunities for continuing education.

Teaching staff have training in the program's curriculum and work as a teaching team.

The program establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with each child's family to foster children's development in all settings. These relationships are sensitive to family composition, language, and culture. To support children's optimal learning and development, programs need to establish relationships with families based on mutual trust and respect, involve families in their children's educational growth, and encourage families to fully participate in the program.

What to look for in a program:

All families are welcome and encouraged to be involved in all aspects of the program.

Teachers and staff talk with families about their family structure and their views on childrearing and use that information to adapt the curriculum and teaching methods to the families served.

The program uses a variety of strategies to communicate with families, including family conferences, new family orientations, and individual conversations.

Program information-including policies and operating procedures-is provided in a language that families can understand.

The program establishes relationships with and uses the resources of the children's communities to support the achievement of program goals. Relationships with agencies and institutions in the community can help a program achieve its goals and connect families with resources that support children's healthy development and learning.

What to look for in a program:

The program connects with and uses museums, parks, libraries, zoos, and other resources in the community.

Representatives from community programs, such as musical performers and local artists, are invited to share their interests and talents with the children.

The staff develop professional relationships with community agencies and organizations that further the program's capacity to meet the needs and interests of children and families.

The program has a safe and healthful environment that provides appropriate and well-maintained indoor and outdoor physical environments. The environment includes facilities, equipment, and materials to facilitate child and staff learning and development.

An organized, properly equipped, and well-maintained program environment facilitates the learning, comfort, health, and safety of the children and adults who use the program.

What to look for in a program:

The facility is designed so that staff can supervise all children by sight and sound.

The program has necessary furnishings, such as hand-washing sinks, child-size chairs and tables, and cots, cribs, beds, or sleeping pads.

A variety of materials and equipment appropriate for children's ages, skills and abilities is available and kept clean, safe, and in good repair.

Outdoor play areas have fences or natural barriers that prevent access to streets and other hazards.

First-aid kits, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and other safety equipment are installed and available.

The program effectively implements policies, procedures, and systems that support stable staff and strong personnel, and fiscal, and program management so all children, families, and staff have high-quality experiences.

Effective management and operations, knowledgeable leaders, and sensible policies and procedures are essential to building a quality program and maintaining the quality over time.

What to look for in a program:

The program administrator has the necessary educational qualifications, including a degree from a four-year college and specialized courses in early childhood education, child development, or related fields.

The program is licensed and/or regulated by the applicable state agency.

The program's written policies and procedures are shared with families and address issues such as the program's philosophy and curriculum goals, policies on guidance and discipline, and health and safety procedures.

Appropriate group sizes and ratios of teaching staff to children are maintained (for example, infants-no more than 8 children in a group, with 2 teaching staff; toddlers-no more than 12 children in a group, with 2 teaching staff; and 4-year-olds-no more than 20 children in a group, with 2 teaching staff).

Families on NAEYC-Accredited programs

"Valued teachers lead to valued children ... Accredited programs tend to attract employees who not only view themselves as educators, they consider themselves child advocates."
- Kate in San Antonio, Texas. Her child attends an NAEYC-Accredited program.

"Choosing a preschool for my first child was somewhat overwhelming, so when you find a program accredited by NAEYC, it adds peace of mind that you're making a good choice for your child."
- Jen in Torrance, California. Her child attends an NAEYC-Accredited program.

"NAEYC is an organization that can be trusted with the future of my child's education ... That is why I chose an NAEYC-Accredited center-nothing but the best."
- Jennifer in Newark, New Jersey. Her child attends an NAEYC-Accredited program.

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NAEYC has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards.

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Ryan Davis

January 30th, 2023

ECCE 1101 Introduction to ECCE

Educational Opportunities

The two jobs I felt most drawn to are a drama teacher in the Cobb County school district and an outdoor nature based preschool teacher at Little Forest Preschool in metro Atlanta.

The drama position is part-time afterschool program on certain days depending on the school location and as needed basis. The salary for the drama position is part time with a rate of $35/Hr. As a drama teacher I would be teach and mentor to children ages 4-11 in the afternoon from 2-5 pm. The duties I find most enjoyable being a drama teacher would be to encourage children to take the stage, become better communicators, and enjoy what theater has to offer. Skills I have developed over the years for a position like this are being collaborative amongst parents in my outdoor fairy tale group. I wanted everyone to have a roll in their kids pretend play and feel confident in asking to take part in the class together. A skill I am trying to get better at is not over committing myself to so many projects. When I give myself too many projects, I create unnecessary stress leaving the projects to not be as well developed as I had hoped.

The second position is an outdoor school educator. They have a part-time and full-time position open Monday through Friday 8am- 2:45pm. The salary was between $35,000 – 45,000 per year. The students' age range is 5-10 years old. The school day is spent outdoors unless it is unsafe to play/learn due to heavy weather, then students will be brought inside a designated location for learning.

The school uses The Orton-Gillingham model. This model is not required to understand before taking the position. They will provide courses to take to learn the method while teaching.The group learning environments follow an environmental/earth, and social emotional curriculum that includes communication skills, meditation, positive self-talk and more. The love being outside. I find myself enjoying the children more when there is more space to roam, learn new skills and play. Skills I have for being in this program are meeting the child where they are at, creating wonder at an early age is so important especially amongst peers. An important skill/need is correct attire in a place of learning like nature. A quote my own family used when I was a kid. “it’s not bad weather, its bad clothes.” This phrase has gotten me and my kids out more and many precious memories have come from it. A skill I have trouble with and will be working on is lesson plans. I am used to working in the moment and scaffolding in the present vs having a lesson plan ready for learning.

Refrences :

Indeed. (2022). Job Search | Indeed. Indeed.com. https://www.indeed.com/

Interview with Amber Myers B.A.

Employment: Sixes Elementary

Phone Number: (404) 263-6623

1. Describe your career path in early childhood education. What positions have you held? What are your current job duties?

*Before becoming an early childhood education teacher, I started my journey working at daycare center for many years during my later years of high school. From there, I went on to be an after-school program teacher in a local school. Over the summer I worked as a summer camp director with kids ages 5-12.
*My current job is within the county in which I grew up in. I am a second-grade teacher at a local school. My daily duties include teaching all subject areas to my class, assisting them through their daily schedule, promoting various ways of learning and ensuring their safety each day.

2. What do you think are the most important characteristics and dispositions that an early childhood teacher should have? Why are these so important?

*I feel the most important characteristics a teacher should have is a love for children but also the willingness to grow and learn. If you do not have a connection with children, than ultimately you are in the wrong field. Additionally, being able to grow and learn is very important. The expectations of teachers are constantly changing whether its at the county level, school level or grade level. Not being willing to make the appropriate/requested changes have a chance to affect your teaching position. The curriculum changes every few years in order to meet student needs and not being open to learning and making the change could potentially influence student success.

3. What role do collaboration and teamwork play in your job?

*Collaboration and teamwork are a MUST! Being able to work with a group of other teachers to create meaningful activities for the students that correlate with grade-level standards is highly important for student success.

4. Can you give an example of how professional ethics impact your work as an early childhood professional?

*Using professionalism in the way I communicate with faculty, staff, parents and students is important in my daily job. The other staff are able to respect me as a teammate and teacher because of my open responsible interaction.

5. What do you think are the most pressing issues facing early childhood education today?

*In my opinion, the biggest issue facing early childhood education is the expectations that are in place at each grade level. Some of the standards/expectations are just not appropriate for students of that age. This provides stress for the teachers as it is our job to help them master the standards, but it also provides stress for the students as they are just not developmentally ready.

6. What aspects of your job bring you the most satisfaction?

*I am the ESOL (English as Second Oral Language) teacher on my second-grade team. Knowing the students' background and their difficulties with the language barrier make their accomplishments very rewarding. Seeing students make growth throughout the year provides me with lots of satisfaction.

7. Which aspects of early childhood education do you find most challenging?

*The most challenging part of early childhood education can be the many expectations from my school at times. We are asked to attend many meetings each week, which allows for little time to plan during my planning time. Therefore, I am required to work late or bring work home with me in order to ensure my plans are meaningful for my students and that I am prepared for the next day.

8. What advice do you have for others who are just beginning their careers in early childhood.

*My advice would be to make sure it is really something you have a heart for. It is not easy by any means and takes time to get "in the groove." This job is very rewarding, but it requires the effort to be applied upfront.

Date January 30th, 2023

ECCE 1101 Introduction to ECCE

Ryan Davis

Self-Reflective Interview

1. What career goals do you have in the field of ECCE and how has the interview influenced your goals (if at all)

From what I read from my interviewee; the opportunities in my community. There are so many different options for teachers in the field now. I think trying out different teaching domains is important in deciding how and where you want to teach.

1. Which of the characteristics and disposition mentioned by the interviewee is the same as those discussed in the Teaching: a professional commitment chapter of your textbook? Which are different.

The interviewee brought up the importance of emotional framework. The idea of this is to create a safe space for children and adults to have all the feelings without judgement. Her definition of disposition had a lot to do with open and frequent communication designed in team teaching and collaboration is vital for growth and better curriculum.

1. Which of these qualities listed in the chapter do you possess? Give an example which illustrates how you demonstrate this characteristic.

Self-awareness is an important quality in teaching. The best way I can explain self-awareness is by taking time to self-reflect. There were many times I would get to work and write down the stress from that morning or week. This helped so many times especially when my kids were little, and toddlers were hard to get out the door. I found myself bringing that stress to work. Writing it down gave me an outlet. Thus, giving me the chance to be more available to my students.

1. Why is teamwork important in ECCE, according to your textbook? Did the interviews answer questions about teamwork similar or different to what is discussed in the textbook?

Yes, teamwork is incredibly important in ECCE. The way it was explained in my interview was a lot like team teaching. She had a good point about being intentional, organized, and plans in place with fellow teachers to have the best curriculum ready for the students.

1. Which positions in early childhood education interest you the most? Why

A Family therapist/parent educator: I wish there were more supports like this in the community. I do not think one person on the staff for a whole school is fair. I think there should be more outlets for parents to come together in a safe space to express their worries, concerns, and struggles.

A children’s photographer – Kids do not have poker faces like adults do. I like capturing kids in their element of discovery like catching a salamander at the creek or scoring a basket at a basketball practice. Children are so honest. The way they express joy, fear, sadness, and tiredness is a skill I hope to create.

1. How does the code of professional ethics help early childhood educators?

-This is a base/outline support system in place to handle different/tricky situations that teachers are confronted within the school and caregivers of the students outside the classroom. It protects teachers and gives more tools to make tough decisions with guidance and support for children, families, colleagues, community and society.

1. What concerns or worries you the most about becoming an early childhood professional?

The biggest worry I have right now is the number of students per teacher. I have always noticed children work better in smaller groups.

I think more steps have been taken for our youngest learners ages 0-3 have been given more thought into the power of play. I think the older age groups of 5-8 are not given enough individual support for emotional growth in school and at home because the pressures of curriculum are not balanced enough yet.

Refrence :

Gordon, A., & Browne, K. (2016). Beginning essentials in early childhood education. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

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Cultural Diversity and  Guidance Assignment ECCE

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 ECCE 1103: Child Growth & Development. 

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 ECCE 1103: Child Growth & Development. 