The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an international organization promoting early childhood education, focusing on children from birth to three years of age. The Association was formed in 1938 as the National Child Development Association and has evolved into a strong network of associations and networks throughout the world. The vision of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is to provide children and their parents with effective information about child development through training and conferences. It also works with concerned parents through the creation of information resources like handbooks, websites, brochures, newsletters, and training programs. Its mission is to advocate for and provide education and support for children in developing countries through research, practice, and policy initiatives.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children has been instrumental in educating and encouraging preschool teachers on the basic elements of early education. At its inception, the association focused its efforts on providing quality early education and training to educators from various disciplines. The primary goals of the National Association for the Education of Young Children are;
(a) to improve the quality of preschool programs through research and practice;
(b) to reduce the number of children who experience long waits in receiving educational opportunities;
(c) to train teachers and disseminate information on quality practices in the early education field;
(d) to expand the availability of early education services for low-income and minority children;
(e) to provide support to educational institutions. In addition, the National Association for the Education of
Young Children provides technical support to government and institutional parents, providing assistance in training and certification, technical services to teachers and other relevant organizations. They also coordinate activities between various groups such as parents, educators, practitioners, researchers, and other experts.
In order to promote quality and effective early childhood education, the association has developed various strategies and reviewed current practices. These strategies are part of a strategy to ensure the early learning community is well connected with one another. For example, the association welcomes the sharing of information by people and organizations with an interest in early childhood education, such as parents, practitioners, researchers, and others.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children believes that comprehensive approaches are essential for the promotion of childhood development. Comprehensive approaches involve more than learning strategies. They also include values-based education, quality systems for scheduling, well-child monitoring, educational assessment, and integrated evaluation. The comprehensive approach promotes the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children at all ages. The association has published position statements that address these four areas as well as a summary of the key principles they stand for.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children maintains that the quality of early childhood programs depends on accreditation. Accreditation ensures that a preschool provides an adequate curriculum and follows accepted standards and practices. The association’s policy regarding accreditation is also consistent with the principle of accountability. It requires that all members be informed about programs and activities that are evaluated. These include quality indicators and reports, progress reports, evaluations, corrective actions, and other measures related to the quality of the program.
As a member organization of the national association for the education of young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics maintains policies related to early childhood education and outlines criteria for accreditation. The organization also publishes a technical report on “Guidelines for Accreditation of Preschool Programs”. This report discusses the benefits of accreditation and the benefits of establishing a national accreditation commission.
The American Academy of Pediatrics maintains two publications: the Journal of the American Medical Associations and the Pediatrics Report. The Journal of the American Medical Associations has a journal that is dedicated to medical news and has been in existence since 1960. It features articles that are related to pediatrics, pediatricians, surgeons, and other medical professionals. The second publication, the Pediatrics Report, is a peer-reviewed, non-clinical article that is produced by members of the association. The main purpose of the publication is to disseminate important information on child health and development and provide referrals to medical specialists.
In addition to being a publishing house of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association for the Education of Young Children maintains several websites on different issues related to early childhood developmentally appropriate practices.
