The Benefits of NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation

Are you a faculty member making the case to your institution's administration that your program should seek NAEYC Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs? Are you a college administrator wondering whether NAEYC accreditation is worth the time, effort, and financial commitment your institution's early childhood degree program will need to make?

In a recent survey of NAEYC-accredited higher education programs, here's what faculty said about the benefits of earning accreditation:

• 98% of faculty improved their knowledge of aligning student learning outcomes with course assessments by participating in the accreditation process.
• Two-thirds noted that the accreditation process has helped their program create additional partnerships with community stakeholders.
• 93% agreed that students have more opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of the national professional standards as a result of the accreditation process.
• At least 85% noted an increased awareness among college administrators of the early childhood program and its value to the college community through participation in the accreditation process.
• Three out of four indicated that the accreditation process increased student engagement in collaborative and active learning.

To find out more about how NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation benefits programs, institutions, students, and their communities, see the section below that aligns with your role in higher education:

Benefits of Accreditation: Information for Higher Education Administrators

As a higher education administrator, do you wonder how your institution would benefit by having an NAEYC-accredited early childhood degree program? Here are a few key benefits:

• Accreditation communicates a commitment to quality. Accreditation recognizes excellence in early childhood professional preparation at a critical time when public demand for highly qualified early childhood professionals with specialized degrees and credentials is increasing.
• Accreditation strengthens the focus on student performance data. The accreditation process improves faculty knowledge about the alignment of student learning outcomes with course assessments.
• Accreditation supports intentional, innovative, and reflective program design. Accredited programs demonstrate how teaching and learning are intentionally planned to align with their institutions’ and programs’ missions, goals, and conceptual frameworks as well as the national standards for early childhood professionals.
• Accreditation promotes partnerships and removes silos. Two-thirds of faculty from accredited programs noted that the accreditation process has helped create additional partnerships with community stakeholders.
• Funding may be available to support students. From 2007 to 2010, states spent at least $1.4 billion on activities like training and scholarships to improve early child care and education worker quality.

Benefits of Accreditation: Information for Faculty

Considering pursuing NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation, but wondering how it will benefit your degree program? Here are a few key benefits:

• Accreditation communicates a commitment to quality. Accreditation recognizes excellence in early childhood professional preparation at a critical time when public demand for highly qualified early childhood professionals with specialized degrees and credentials is increasing.
• Accreditation strengthens the focus on student performance data. The accreditation process improves faculty knowledge about the alignment of student learning outcomes with course assessments.
• Accreditation supports intentional, innovative, and reflective program design. Accredited programs demonstrate how teaching and learning are intentionally planned to align with their institutions’ and programs’ missions, goals, and conceptual frameworks as well as the national standards for early childhood professionals.
• Accreditation increases program visibility. At least 85% of faculty surveyed noted an increased awareness of the early childhood program and its value to the college community from college administrators by participating in the accreditation process.
• Accreditation has a strong faculty voice. This accreditation system was developed and continues to be shaped by faculty. The majority of the Commissioners making all accreditation decisions and policies, as well as the peer review teams conducting the site visit, are early childhood faculty members.

Benefits of Accreditation: Information for Students

Wondering about the benefits of earning your degree from an NAEYC-accredited early childhood program? Here are a few key benefits:

• Specialized accreditation matters. As a specialized accreditor, NAEYC examines programs preparing early childhood professionals to make sure they are meeting the standards for the early childhood field. Institutional accreditors only review the college or university as a whole without the in-depth focus on the early childhood program.
• Accredited programs are committed to quality. All degree programs are not of the same quality. Accreditation recognizes excellence in early childhood professional preparation at a critical time when current and future professionals are seeking specialized early childhood degrees and credentials.
• Accredited programs focus on what professionals need to know and be able to do. Accredited programs provide rich experiences for you to learn and apply your understanding of the national professional standards. These experiences can give you a solid foundation, making you more marketable to employers.
• Accredited programs support student engagement and responsive practice. Three out of four faculty members indicated that the accreditation process increased student engagement in collaborative and active learning.
• Graduates with early childhood degrees and credentials are in high demand. Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS), public Pre-Kindergarten, Head Start, and Early Head Start all emphasize the need for professionals with college or university credentials and degrees.

Benefits of Accreditation: Information for Policymakers

Need information about the impact of NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation to inform research and policy? Here are a few key benefits:

• Accreditation strengthens investments in workforce effectiveness initiatives. All degree and certificate programs are not of the same quality. Accredited programs strengthen the return on investments by providing robust experiences for students to learn and apply their understanding of the national professional standards.
• Accreditation communicates a commitment to quality: Accreditation recognizes excellence in early childhood professional preparation at a critical time when current and future professionals are seeking specialized early childhood degrees and credentials.
• Accreditation focuses on outcomes—What do students know? What can they do? 93% of faculty agreed that students have more opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of the national professional standards as a result of the accreditation process.
• Accreditation values intentional, innovative, and reflective practice. Accredited programs must demonstrate how teaching and learning are intentionally planned to respond to the needs of their students, faculty, community, and context as a whole.
• Accreditation increases partnerships and removes silos. Successful accreditation requires engagement with internal and external stakeholders. This emphasis on partnerships supports Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS), public Pre-Kindergarten, Head Start, Early Head Start, P-12 alignment, early learning standards, and other early learning priority areas. Two-thirds of faculty from accredited programs noted that the accreditation process has helped create additional partnerships.