National Association For The Education Of Young Children

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN (NAEYC) IS A PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION, FOUNDED IN 1926, WHOSE MISSION IS TO PROMOTE HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING FOR ALL YOUNG CHILDREN, BIRTH THROUGH AGE 8, BY CONNECTING EARLY CHILDHOOD PRACTICE, POLICY AND RESEARCH. NAEYC ADVANCES A DIVERSE, DYNAMIC EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSION AND SUPPORTS ALL WHO CARE FOR, EDUCATE, AND WORK ON BEHALF OF YOUNG CHILDREN, AS WELL AS ACCREDITING EARLY CHILDHOOD FACILITIES AND HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION PROGRAMS.

ACCREDITATION AND EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS - NAEYC GUIDES THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FIELD THROUGH ITS UNIFYING STANDARDS FOR PRACTICE AND TWO ACCREDITATION SYSTEMS - NAEYC ACCREDITATION OF EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS AND NAEYC ACCREDITATION/RECOGNITION OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS. MORE THAN 5,800 EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS SERVING YOUNG CHILDREN ARE NAEYC ACCREDITED AS OF NAEYC'S FISCAL YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31, 2021. THERE ARE ALSO MORE THAN 200 NAEYC ACCREDITED HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS PREPARING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. IN NAEYC'S FISCAL YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31,2021, THESE HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS REPRESENTED APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE MARKET. IN MAY 2021, NAEYC'S HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION OBTAINED RECOGNITION FROM THE COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION.

PUBLICATIONS - NAEYC OFFERS THE EARLY CHILDHOOD FIELD CURRENT, RELEVANT, RESEARCH-BASED GUIDANCE ON PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN FROM BIRTH THROUGH AGE 8. NAEYC PUBLISHED SIX BOOKS IN ITS FISCAL YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31, 2021: (I) POWERFUL INTERACTIONS, SECOND EDITION; (II) DAY TO DAY THE RELATIONSHIP WAY; (III) THE ESSENTIALS: SUPPORTING DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS; (IV) TRANSFORMING TEACHING; (V) ADVANCING EQUITY AND EMBRACING DIVERSITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION; AND (VI) LEARNING STORIES AND TEACHER INQUIRY GROUPS.NAEYC PUBLISHED THREE PRINT AND ONE DIGITAL-ONLY ISSUES OF ITS JOURNALS TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN AND YOUNG CHILDREN. THE FOUR ISSUES OF TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN INCLUDED A RANGE OF TIMELY AND RESEARCH-BASED TOPICS, INCLUDING PARTNERING WITH FAMILIES, STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS) LEARNING AT HOME AND IN PRESCHOOL, NURTURING SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND EMPOWERING PROGRAMS AND EDUCATORS TO MEET EARLY LEARNING PROGRAM STANDARDS. THE FOUR ISSUES OF YOUNG CHILDREN CONTAINED CLUSTERS OF ARTICLES ADDRESSING THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: FOSTERING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE THROUGH INTEGRATION; USING A KNOWLEDGE-RICH CURRICULUM TO SUPPORT IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCE EQUITY; SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE YOUNGEST LEARNERS; AND NURTURING EQUITY LEADERS.

CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS - NAEYC'S ANNUAL EVENTS ARE INTEGRAL TO THE IMPACT IT HAS ON THE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSION. IN NAEYC'S FISCAL YEAR ENDING AUGUST31, 2021, NAEYC HOSTED A SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE (NOVEMBER) THAT DREW APPROXIMATELY 3,700 EARLY EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS AS THEY GATHERED TO LEARN, CONNECT, AND GROW AS A PROFESSION. THE CONFERENCE FEATURED MORE THAN 100 SESSIONS COVERING TOPICS SUCH AS CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES/EARLY INTERVENTION, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT, SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TEACHING AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY, AMONGST OTHER TOPIC CATEGORIES. THE CONFERENCE ALSO FOCUSED ON THE RELEASE OF NAEYC'S NEW POSITION STATEMENT, DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICE (DAP). NAEYC'S PUBLIC POLICY FORUM ALSO TOOK PLACE VIRTUALLY WITH MORE THAN 800 EDUCATORS AND ADVOCATES FROM ALL 50 STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IT WAS TWO DAYS OF NEARLY 20 INFORMATIVE, INTERACTIVE, AND RECORDED SESSIONS WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICY EXPERTS FOLLOWED BY MULTIPLE DAYS OF VIRTUAL VISITS WITH CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS AND STAFFERS. FINALLY, DUE TO THE ONGOING IMPACTS OF COVID-19, NAEYC'S IN-PERSON PROFESSIONAL LEARNING INSTITUTE WAS REPLACED BY A FULLY VIRTUAL DAP SYMPOSIUM FEATURING EXPERT PRESENTATIONS FROM AUTHORS, EXPERTS, AND OTHER THOUGHT LEADERS FOCUSED ON THE REVISED DAP POSITION STATEMENT AND THE UPCOMING FOURTH EDITION OF DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS. THE DAP SYMPOSIUM FEATURED 24 SESSIONS AND DREW MORE THAN 1,700 ATTENDEES.