For Immediate Release

October 13, 2022                                                                                                                                                                                   

WASHINGTON — The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs is pleased to announce that it has granted first-time accreditation to programs at four institutions of higher education and renewed accreditation for programs at eleven institutions during its summer meeting. This brings the total number of institutions with accredited programs to 180 in 39 states and territories across the country.

Early childhood professional preparation programs serve a wide range of students and prepare early childhood educators for a variety of early learning settings. Accreditation serves as a mechanism for ensuring a consistent and high level of program quality and alignment to the NAEYC Initial Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs while respecting the unique mission and context of each degree program, its host institution, and its community.

"NAEYC Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs is a hallmark of quality assurance for the early childhood preparation profession," said Mary Harrill, Senior Director of Higher Education at NAEYC. "We congratulate all of the programs that have recently achieved accreditation. Their dedication, through the accreditation process, to program improvement, to the students they serve, and to the early learning settings in which their graduates will work is to be commended.”

To earn and retain accreditation, professional preparation programs must demonstrate that they:

• Meet NAEYC’s Higher Education Accreditation Standards;
• Respond to the unique needs of their degree candidates and communities;
• Provide intentional learning experiences aligned to the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators for their degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective; and,
• Continuously assess and reflect on their degree candidates’ performance.

The following programs have first-time accreditation:

• Ivy Tech Community College – Lafayette (IN) – A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Maricopa Community Colleges – Glendale Community College (AZ) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Maricopa Community Colleges – Mesa Community College (AZ) – A.A.S. Early Learning and Development
• Tarrant County College (TX) – A.A.S. Child Development

The following programs have renewed accreditation:

• Chattanooga State Community College (TN) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Grand Rapids Community College (MI) – A.A.A.S. Child Development
• Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington (IN) – A.S. and A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Ivy Tech Community College – Evansville (IN) – A.S. and A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Ivy Tech Community College – Fort Wayne (IN) – A.S. and A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Ivy Tech Community College – Kokomo (IN) – A.S. and A.A.S. Early Childhood Education, Kokomo and Logansport Campuses
• Ivy Tech Community College – Lafayette (IN) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Ivy Tech Community College – Muncie & Anderson (IN) – A.S. and A.A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Massachusetts Bay Community College (MA) – A.A. Liberal Arts: Early Childhood Education; A.S. Early Childhood Education
• Massasoit Community College (MA) – A.S. Early Childhood Education and Administration
• Northampton Community College (PA) – A.A.S. Early Childhood Education: Infant to Grade 4

For more information, visit the NAEYC Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation system website. To download a printable copy of this release, click here.