NAEYC strives to raise the quality of education for all children from birth through age eight. Accreditation systems are major part of NAEYC's efforts to improve early childhood education; they allow programs to provide the best learning experiences for young children and their educators by meeting national standards of quality.

Accreditation of Programs for Young Children Since 1985, NAEYC's national accreditation system has set professional standards for early childhood education programs, allowing families to find high-quality programs for their children.		Accreditation of Associate Degree Programs  NAEYC’s Commission on Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation awards accreditation to associate degree programs that meet Professional Preparation Standards for programs preparing early childhood educators.		Recognition of Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Programs  NAEYC also recognizes high-quality Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs, as part of the accreditation system of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).