NAEYC Position Statements are adopted by the Governing Board to state the Association's position on issues related to early childhood education practice, policy, and/or professional development for which there are controversial or critical opinions. Position statements are developed through a consensus-building approach that seeks to convene diverse perspectives and areas of expertise related to the issue and provide opportunities for members and others to provide input and feedback.

All position statements can be downloaded free of charge. Some position statements are available in a specialized format, such as a 2-page summary (called “Where We Stand”), a slightly longer Executive Summary, a fuller version with expanded resources and references, or in Spanish. Where We Stand summaries are also listed at the bottom of this page.

Please note: Written permission is required to republish excerpts from or full text of NAEYC position statements. Please send requests to lbaker@naeyc.org.

Written permission is not required for photocopying of NAEYC position statements, supplements, executive summaries, or Where We Stand summaries. All copies must be distributed for free and include a credit line indicating that the National Association for the Education of Young Children holds the copyright for the material.

NAEYC Position Statements and Standards

• Anti-Discrimination Statements
• Call for Vigilance and Action by All Policymakers on Behalf of Children and Families
• Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment 
  • Supplement for Adult Educators
  • Supplement for Program Administrators
• Conceptual Framework for Professional Development (archived) (PDF)
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice
• Developing and Implementing Policies to Promote Accreditation (PDF) 
• Early Childhood Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation
  • Supplement on Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners
  • Promoting Positive Outcomes for Children with Disabilities: Recommendations for Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation
• Early Childhood Mathematics: Promoting Good Beginnings
• Early Childhood Teacher Certification
• Early Learning Standards
• Guiding Principles for Development and Analysis of Early Childhood Public Policy (PDF)
• DEC/NAEYC Position on Early Childhood Inclusion
  • Summary (PDF)
  • Full Version (PDF)
• Learning to Read and Write
• Licensing and Public Regulation (PDF)
• Media Violence in Children's Lives (PDF)
• Prevention of Child Abuse
• Quality, Compensation, and Affordability (PDF)
• Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
• School Readiness
• Standards for Professional Preparation
• Still Unacceptable Trends in Kindergarten Entry and Placement  (PDF)
• Technology and Young Children NEW 
• Violence in the Lives of Children (PDF)

Where We Stand Summaries

• Curriculum, Assessment, and Program Evaluation (PDF)
• Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners (PDF)
• Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners (Spanish) (PDF)
• Early Learning Standards (PDF)
• Early Childhood Mathematics (PDF)
• Learning to Read and Write (PDF)
• Learning to Read and Write (Spanish) (PDF)
• Prevention of Child Abuse (PDF)
• Respecting and Responding to Diversity (PDF)
• School Readiness (PDF)
• Standards for Professional Preparation (PDF)