The standards for preschool and child-care centers are posted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children, based in Washington, has approved new standards for preschool and child-care centers that will be used as criteria for program accreditation.
The culmination of a long process involving thousands of people in the early-childhood field, the standards focus on several program aspects, including curriculum, teachers, families, health, leadership, and a center’s physical environment.
Recognizing how programs have changed since the accreditation system began 20 years ago, the standards are also divided into sections pertaining to programs for infants, for toddlers, and for preschoolers and kindergartners.
The number of accredited early-childhood programs in the United States reached more than 10,000 this year.
