NAEYC is the sole accreditor of early childhood degree programs.  Since 2006, NAEYC has accredited early childhood associate degree programs, expanding to include baccalaureate and master's degree programs in 2016.  The Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs uses the 2021 Ensuring Quality in Early Childhood Education Professional Preparation Programs: NAEYC’s Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation Standards as the basis for the accreditation of associate, baccalaureate and initial master's degree programs (the Commission does not accredit certificate programs or early childhood degree programs preparing individuals for advanced practitioner roles at this time).   
 
The mission of the accreditation system is to set a standard of excellence for early childhood degree programs and to recognize programs that have demonstrated they meet this standard, thereby benefiting the early childhood profession, young children, families, and communities. 

The system is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for a seven-year term beginning May 2021. 

The Accreditation Process

NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation involves an in-depth review of early childhood higher education programs, beginning with submission of an application to confirm eligibility. Eligible programs engage in self-study by working with stakeholders to reflect on the program's strengths and areas for improvement, collect data, and implement changes. Programs host a team of peer reviewers for a three-day site visit, and findings are shared with the Commission, the decision-making body that makes the final accreditation decision. Accreditation occurs in a seven-year cycle, with programs submitting interim reports to maintain accreditation.

For a more detailed explanation of each step in the process, please see below, or watch a recorded Overview of Accreditation webinar.

Application and Eligibility Criteria

The accreditation process begins with submission of the application for accreditation eligibility, detailing the qualifying features of the program described in the eligibility requirements below. NAEYC staff review the application to confirm program eligibility, and eligible programs enter the self-study phase, a process of reflection and program improvement (see Self-Study section).

Faculty contacts leading the self-study process are granted access to a private online resource library, where additional resources and support are available to help guide the process. We encourage you to apply as soon as your program becomes interested in pursuing accreditation, as access to these additional resources often saves faculty significant time and effort.

The Eligibility Criteria:

Each degree program submitted for accreditation review must meet six eligibility requirements:

1. The institution offering the degree program(s) must be located in a U.S. state, district, or territory and be currently accredited (without probation or equivalent status) by an accrediting agency that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education. This eligibility requirement must be met at the time of the application submission.
2. A degree program leading to teacher licensure must demonstrate that it is a state-approved licensure program and that it is not designated as “low-performing” through Title II of the Higher Education Act. (Currently, this designation applies only at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels.) This eligibility requirement must be met at the time of the application submission.
3. (a) The program(s) must be a specialized degree program in early childhood education or child development. This part of the eligibility requirement must be met at the time of application. (b) The program must include at least 18 credit hours of early childhood education coursework. This may include courses from other departments, such as child psychology, sociology of the family, or children’s literature, if these courses are aligned with NAEYC accreditation standards and faculty are willing to participate in site visit interviews. This part of the eligibility requirement must be met at the time of the Self-Study Report submission.
4. Each degree program includes field experiences (must be met by the time of Self-Study Report submission).
5. (a) The program(s) must have graduated at least one individual. (b) Candidates are currently enrolled in the program, and/or new candidates have enrolled in the program within the past three years. Both parts of this eligibility requirement must be met by the time of the Self-Study Report submission.
6. The faculty for each degree program includes at least one full time faculty member whose primary responsibilities are in the early childhood programs submitted for review. For associate degree programs, this faculty member must hold a graduate degree in early childhood education, child development, child and family studies, or a related discipline with at least 18 graduate credits in early childhood/family studies. For baccalaureate and graduate degree programs, this faculty member must hold a terminal degree in early childhood education, child development, child and family studies, or a related discipline with at least 18 graduate (or higher) credits in early childhood/family studies. For all degree programs, this faculty member must act as either the primary or secondary contact. One person may serve this role in multiple degree programs.

Self-Study

In self-study, program faculty and stakeholders examine program quality together to make improvements. During the process, program faculty analyze and reflect on quality, work with stakeholders both in the program and the community to make changes, collect evidence of the program's alignment with the 2021 Ensuring Quality in Early Childhood Education Professional Preparation Programs: NAEYC’s Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation Standards, gather data, and prepare a Self-Study Report.

In the Self-Study Report, programs use a designated template to describe their context, as well as present evidence of how their program and assessment system addresses the standards. In addition, programs submit student performance data related to the standards and a description of how the data are being used to improve teaching and learning. 

Candidacy & Site Visit

Once the Self-Study Report is complete, programs enter the candidacy phase, and begin working with NAEYC to plan a site visit. A peer review team comprised of early childhood faculty members from other institutions visits the program. The team spends approximately three days on campus observing courses and field placement sites, reviewing materials, and interviewing faculty, students, and other stakeholders in order to document key strengths and areas for improvement for consideration by the Commission on Early Childhood Higher Education Accreditation, the decision-making body that determines whether the program has substantially met the accreditation standards.

Programs will receive a copy of the team's findings documented in the Peer Review Report, and may submit a written response to correct any factual inaccuracies or highlight information in the Self-Study Report that may have been overlooked. Together, the Self-Study Report, Peer Review Report, and program's written response are used to inform the discussion and decision of the Commission.

Accreditation Decision

After the Commission has reached its decision, the program will receive an Accreditation Decision Report summarizing the Commission's findings. Programs seeking accreditation for the first time will receive one of the following decisions:

• Accredited: The program has substantially met each standard and is fully-accredited for a seven-year term.
• Accredited with Conditions: The program has substantially met the standards, but there are conditions that must be met within two Response to Conditions Reports in order to maintain accreditation.
• Not Accredited: The program has not substantially met the standards.

Maintaining and Renewing Accreditation

Accredited programs submit interim reports in years 2 and 4 of their accreditation term. In year six, the process repeats with a renewal self-study report, site visit, and new accreditation decision.

Programs seeking renewed accreditation will receive one of the following decisions:

• Accredited: The program has substantially met each standard and is fully-accredited for a seven-year term.
• Accredited with Conditions: The program has substantially met the standards, but there are conditions that must be met within two Response to Conditions Reports in order to maintain accreditation.
• Accredited with Probation: The program has not substantially met the standards. Concerns must be addressed within two Focused Reports in order to maintain accreditation.

Accreditation Fees

Programs seeking and maintaining accreditation submit the following fees (as of August 1, 2023; subject to change). Please note, all electronic and paper payments should reference the program's invoice number to ensure the payment is applied to the appropriate account and fee:

•  Application and eligibility review ($600; due with program applications for eligibility)
•  Accreditation review ($1,800 if submitting one program, $2,400 if submitting more than one program; due with initial Self-Study Report on March 31 or September 30)
•  Site visit ($6,500*; due after Self-Study Report is approved and by July 31 for visits the following fall or December 15 for visits the following spring)
•  Annual fee ($1,800 for one program, $2,400 for more than one program; due on March 31 each year following accreditation decision. On the rare occasion when program circumstances (not NAEYC circumstances) require a program to extend its candidacy beyond one year, the program will pay an annual fee to maintain its candidacy status.)
•  Late fee for late reports and/or fees ($150; due for Annual Reports, Renewal Self-Study Reports, and/or respective fees more than two weeks late for which a formal extension request was not submitted)
•  Appeals fee ($500; refundable if appeals panel decides in favor of program)

*Site visit fee covers all direct costs (including peer reviewers' airfare and hotel) and administrative costs associated with the site visit. A site visit fee may increase if the site visit requires a larger peer review team or lengthier visit schedule, or when geography requires substantially higher-than-usual travel costs. See page 23 of the Accreditation Handbook for more information.

**Discounts on fees may be available for higher education systems in which the vast majority of early childhood education degree programs have NAEYC accreditation and for currently NAEYC recognized programs (up to one year after recognition term expires).  Please see pages 10-11 of the Accreditation Handbook for more information if any of these apply to your program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can accreditation help to streamline and support our program's efforts to enhance our articulation with programs at a different degree level?

The good news is that our profession has come to consensus around what professionals should know and be able to do, regardless of the degree level with which they enter the field—knowing that different degrees may qualify them for varying roles that will require differentiated ways of demonstrating knowledge and skills. Because NAEYC-accredited programs at the associate, baccalaureate, and initial master's degree levels all meet the same national professional standards, this consistency can streamline the process of articulating individual degrees and provide reassurance to programs at all degree levels.

Q. I've heard references to ECADA (associate degree accreditation). Is my four-year program eligible for NAEYC Accreditation or is it only for community colleges?

Previously, the NAEYC higher education system accredited only associate degree programs and went by the name Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation (ECADA). Starting in 2016, NAEYC expanded to accrediting programs at the bachelor's and initial master's degree levels as well under its new name of NAEYC Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs. Applications for eligibility are now accepted from all three degree levels. 

Q. I've heard references to the 2010 Initial Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs, the 2020 Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators, and the 2021 Higher Education Accreditation Standards. Which standards should my program be using?

Programs submitting first-time or renewal Self-Study Reports as of 2023 must now use the new 2021 higher education accreditation standards, part of which involves demonstrating alignment of learning opportunities, key assessments, and candidate performance data to the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. Please see this chart that outlines timeline expectations for programs at other stages of accreditation (responding to conditions, preparing Interim Reports, etc) with regard to transitioning to the new accreditation standards. 

Don't see your question listed? Please email [email protected] if you need further information.