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 early childhood degree programs at two institutions of higher education. In addition, the Commission voted to renew accreditation for programs at eight institutions. This brings the total number of institutions with accredited programs to 205. Early childhood 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 NAEYC’s Professional Preparation Standards while respecting the unique mission and context of each degree program.
“On behalf of the Commission, I’d like to congratulate the programs who earned and renewed accreditation during the most recent review cycle. These programs have spent significant time examining their programs of study, mapping their courses to the standards, creating key assessments, and developing assessment plans, with the goal of continuous program improvement,” said Crystal Swank, Commission Chair. “Kudos to the faculty for their dedication and hard work!”
In 2016, the accrediting body’s scope expanded to include baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in addition to associate degree programs. Since then, NAEYC has seen a steady increase in programs at all degree levels pursuing this mark of high quality.
To earn and retain accreditation, professional preparation programs must demonstrate that they:
- Align to NAEYC’s Professional Preparation Standards;
- Respond to the unique needs of their degree candidates and communities;
- Provide intentional learning experiences for their degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective early childhood educators; and,
- Continuously assess and reflect on their degree candidates’ performance.
The newly-accredited degree programs are:
- Rose State College, Oklahoma
A. Family Services and Child Development, Child Development Option - Tidewater Community College, Virginia
A.S. Early Childhood Development
The following programs have renewed accreditation:
- Aiken Technical College, South Carolina
A.S. Early Care and Education - Columbus State Community College, Ohio
A.S. Early Childhood Development and Education - Housatonic Community College, Connecticut
S. Early Childhood Inclusive Education - Ivy Tech Community College – Terre Haute, Indiana
A.S. Early Childhood Education - Milwaukee Area Technical College, Wisconsin
A.S. Early Childhood Education - Portland Community College, Oregon
A.S. Early Education and Family Studies - Southwestern Oregon Community College, Oregon
S. Childhood Education and Family Studies;
A.A.S. Childhood Education and Family Science - University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, Arkansas
A.S. Early Childhood Development
For more information, visit the NAEYC Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation system website.