A Guide for Families: Using NAEYC Standards to Find Quality Programs for Young Children

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. This introduction to the standards can guide your family in finding a program in which your children can learn and grow. The standards (and more than 400 related criteria) are based on research on the development and education of young children and were created with input from thousands of experts and educators from around the country. The standards define what NAEYC— the world’s largest organization of early childhood professionals— believes all early childhood programs should provide.

The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn NAEYC Accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards.