California Association For The Education Of Young Children

Programs: NAEYC leads efforts to raise the standards for early childhood education programs, and works with educators and programs around the country to help them achieve higher standards. The organization provides several different services aimed toward these goals: Accreditation - NAEYC established and operates a national voluntary accreditation system to raise the quality of early childhood education and help families and others identify high-quality programs. To earn accreditation, programs must meet professional standards in areas such as staff qualifications, curriculum and child-to-teacher ratios. (Families can search for accredited programs in their communities through the NAEYC Web site.) Professional Development - NAEYC provides educators and early childhood professionals with the information and education services they need to help more children get a great start. The NAEYC Annual Conference draws more than 30,000 people from around the world for workshops and seminars on research, policy and practices in early childhood education. (The 2001 Annual Conference will be held October 31 to November 3 in Anaheim, California.) Resources - NAEYC publishes ""Young Children,"" books, videos, brochures and other materials to bring the latest strategies and research on early childhood to families, teachers and others committed to the development and education of young children.