In 2004 the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) began field tests for a new system for accrediting Early Childhood associate degree programs. Since its development and public launch in 2006, NAEYC has strived to create a system that promotes building a high quality teacher education program, with a strengths-based approach to program self-study, and meaningful program assessment methods. The accreditation system was developed in response to the growing importance of community colleges in early childhood education, along with the need to fill the gap in the U.S. teacher educational systems. With a strong push from the field and increased need for articulation, NAEYC’s goal was to define a new national standard of excellence for early childhood teacher education at the associate degree level.
NAEYC is continuing to move forward at a rapid pace and is working towards developing exciting new resources for programs and peer reviewers. We currently have over 130 trained Peer Reviewers and continuously monitor the demographics of our reviewer pool. An online Peer Reviewer training is currently in the development stages. This online training is part of a deliberate effort to recruit a more diverse group of reviewers. Making the training available online will enable NAEYC to reach a more diverse range of people who otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend one of our conferences for training.
Early Childhood teacher education in the United States faces both great opportunities and great challenges. In particular, demographic shifts in the United States’ population are changing the landscape in early childhood, elementary, secondary and higher education. This changed demographic landscape can only strengthen our professional commitment to building high quality educational programs for all of our youngest children. In many states, associate degree programs are growing and evolving in response to these new challenges and opportunities. There are now 13 states that have formed statewide cohorts made up of faculty that are collaborating to develop programs that meet NAEYC Accreditation standards.
NAEYC Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation uses a set of five evidence-based standards that describe what early childhood teachers should know and be able to do. Programs demonstrate that they provide learning opportunities aligned with those standards and implement a system of five key assessments to monitor student performance related to the national standards. The process is designed to emphasize the importance of reflection on national standards, student access, student and faculty diversity, and equity issues within the context of a program’s student demographics, mission, goals, community, and state.
In 2009, now in its fourth year, the accreditation system is still working to keep the Accreditation Standards up to date with current research and changing policies within the field. Currently, there are over 200 programs in 37 states involved in the system with 62 of those programs having earned accreditation.
In the last few years, growth has been one of our biggest successes. With an increase in higher education enrollment comes an increased awareness of the diversity of the students pursuing their degrees.
We have a growing range of diverse institutions that are showing us how they have developed programs specific to their community and student needs. Early childhood associate degree programs are showing they can be responsive to these needs while still meeting national standards and are supporting faculty efforts to design early childhood associate degree programs that support the enrollment, retention, and graduation of these diverse populations. |
