NAEYC's Accreditation Process
NAEYC Accreditation is a three-step process:
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Self-study
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Validation visit
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Accreditation decision
It is administered by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs — the accrediting body of NAEYC. This site provides information about how to begin the accreditation process, including ordering materials and completing the process. At www.naeyc.org/accreditation, you may read about:
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The Accreditation Readiness Survey, which helps early care and education professionals recognize when a program is ready to begin the self-study process. This tool helps staff gain familiarity with accreditation criteria, identify program areas in need of strengthening, and develop a program-improvement plan.
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Accreditation eligibility criteria, which helps programs learn about the requirements to be eligible for NAEYC Accreditation.
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The accreditation fee structure, which is based on the number of children the program serves.
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Transitional procedures for programs that are not currently NAEYC accredited, which are in effect until September 15, 2006. Significant growth in and demands on the accreditation system led the NAEYC Governing Board to establish a project to reinvent accreditation by developing new program standards, criteria, and assessment procedures and by taking immediate steps to improve the reliability and accountability of the system while better managing the demand for accreditation. The transition to the next era of NAEYC Accreditation is now underway, with full implementation scheduled to occur by 2006.