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Mark Day Email
Chief Staff . National Association for Education of Young Children
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Founded in 1926, The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 80,000 members, a national network of more than 300 state and local Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations. NAEYC is the leading membership association for those working with and on behalf of children from birth through age 8. NAEYC convenes thought leaders, teachers and other practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders and sets standards of excellence for programs and teachers in early childhood education. NAEYC members include teachers, paraeducators, center directors, trainers, college educators, families of young children, and the public at large. Membership is open to all individuals who share a desire to serve and act on behalf of the needs and rights of all young children. NAEYC members receive valuable benefits, including an award-winning publication, voting rights to elect diverse leadership to the NAEYC Governing Board, and the opportunity to add their voices to the NAEYC Call to Action. In addition, members receive discounted rates on books and multimedia resources, and reduced conference registration fees at the local, state, and national Affiliate levels. NAEYC members living in Europe are served by our Europe AYC Affiliate, and International membership is available to those living abroad outside of Europe. The Global Alliance connects like-minded organizations, extending our reach worldwide. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has become the nation's premier organization for early childhood professionals-setting research-based standards and providing resources to improve early childhood program quality, enhance the professional development and working conditions of program staff, and to help families learn about and understand the need for high quality early childhood education. Through position statements, work with other organizations, and its national voluntary accreditation system, NAEYC has been the leader in promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children from birth through age 8. NAEYC's roots extend to the 1920s when professional researchers and educators began organizing nursery schools for young children. Concerned about the quality of the proliferating programs, Patty Smith Hill identified a multidisciplinary group of 25 individuals, among them Arnold Gesell, Lois Meek (Stolz), and Abigail Eliot, to consider the need for a new association. A public conference was held in Washington, DC in 1926. By 1929, the group was organized as the National Association for Nursery Education (NANE) and had published its first book-Minimum Essentials for Nursery Education. In the 1930s and 1940s, NANE members, although few in number, were actively involved in the development and implementation of Works Progress Administration (WPA) nursery schools and child care programs established by the Lanham Act during World War II. A small group of dedicated volunteers kept the association going with biennial conferences, a quarterly bulletin, and various publications. In the mid 1950s an important strategic decision was made. Existing state, local, and regional organizations for nursery education could affiliate with NANE if all of their members joined the national association. Within a few years, membership increased five-fold, to more than 5,000 members. In 1964, NANE was reorganized as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Also that year, the federal Head Start program was launched, focusing public attention on preschool education. NAEYC entered a period of rapid growth, reaching 31,000 members by its 50th anniversary in 1976. In the early 1980s, concern about the quality of early childhood services available to the burgeoning numbers of families seeking child care and preschool programs for their young children led NAEYC to begin planning a national voluntary accreditation system for early childhood programs. Between 1985 and 1990, the five years of NAEYC's accreditation system, membership doubled-from 45,000 to more than 90,000 members. Also in the 1980s, NAEYC began issuing a number of influential position statements, addressing various topics in early childhood education and professional preparation. Early Childhood Research Quarterly began publication in 1986. Annual conferences continued to be a hallmark of NAEYC, growing to be among the largest educational meetings in the nation. NAEYC's work in developing position statements and setting standards for different aspects of early childhood education continued throughout the 1990s. The National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development focuses attention on improving the quality of preparation and ongoing professional development for teachers of young children by providing a place to learn from researchers about new developments and evaluations of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and teacher education. Membership has continued to grow to reach 100,000 members. In the late 1990s, emphasis was placed on building the visibility and effectiveness of the Association's public policy and advocacy efforts. By its 75th anniversary in 2001, the association was engaged in a project to reinvent its accreditation system. The reinvented system was launched in 2006. Funding provided by a variety of contributors has been instrumental to the success of this effort. In addition, a comprehensive restructuring of its affiliate groups (most of which successfully re-affiliated in 2004) had also been launched. Interest Forums were established as a membership benefit in 2001 to encourage communities of learning on issues related to the NAEYC mission. Funding provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation enabled NAEYC to establish the Supporting Teachers, Strengthening Families project to prevent child abuse and promote children's healthy social development by helping teachers better communicate with families on difficult issues. In 2003, NAEYC created a Global Alliance to foster communications and build understanding among organizations around the world with missions similar to its own. The Association also adopted standards for professional preparation associate degree programs in early childhood education and launched plans to develop an accreditation system for these institutions. This effort has been generously supported by a number of contributors. Support from the Knight Foundation, beginning in 2003, allowed the establishment of a project to work with selected communities on school readiness issues and to develop prototypes for enhanced distance learning opportunities. The results of earlier efforts to build the Association's policy presence are clearly visible in 2004. Nearly 11,000 individuals subscribe to NAEYC's federal and state public policy email updates. Affiliates and members receive training, technical assistance and resources to help them improve the capacity of their efforts to promote good public policies and investments in affordable, high quality early childhood education programs. NAEYC is recognized as a leading voice in Congress and in state capitols on what is needed to help improve early childhood programs and services for all young children and their families, ranging from child care and Head Start, to early elementary grade reading programs and appropriate assessment. Publications and conferences-core services for the Association since its earliest days-have continued to grown in visibility and importance. Early childhood educators look to NAEYC for journals, books, and other resources that combine a solid research base and information and features that make them highly accessible and useful for practitioners, teacher educators, and policy makers. NAEYC Conferences continue to be the meetings that just can't be missed, serving a critical convening function for the early childhood profession and providing a valuable professional development opportunity. NAEYC is proud of its traditions, but also looks to the future. The Association is committed to becoming an ever more high performing inclusive organization that invites all individuals, families, communities and organizations to work together to improve the lives of all young children.National Association for Education of Young Children Address
P.O. Box 97156Washington, DC
United States