The National Association for the Education of Young Children (
NAEYC) is a organization of
early childhood (which they define as birth through age 8) professionals as well as other people who are committed to improving the quality of early childhood education programs.
NAEYC, which was founded in 1926, has a membership of nearly 102,000, with a network of more than 400 local, state, and regional organizations affiliated with it. These affliliate groups share NAEYC's major goals of improving professional practice and working condition in early childhood education and building public understanding and support for high quality early childhood programs.
NAEYC engages in community organization and education. NAEYC also has an voluntary accreditation process which sets professional standards for for all types of preschools, kindergartens, child care centers, and school-age child care programs. In this accreditation process the program is reviewed for health and saftey standards, the quality of the interaction between the child and the staff, and the developmental appropriateness of the curriculum.
more information at www.naeyc.org