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Early Childhood Education: ECE Associations and Standards

ECE Associations

National Association for the Education of Young Children

The nation's leading voice for high-quality early childhood education for children from birth though age 8

San Mateo Office of Education

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) leads San Mateo County in developing and sustaining collaborative partnerships, programs, and services that support equitable, high-quality education and care for children birth through grade 3 and their families.

NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Education

Four small children are seated at desks talking while a teacher instructs them

Standard 1. Promoting Child Development and Learning. Candidates use their understanding of young children’s characteristics and needs, and of multiple interacting influences on children’s development and learning, to create environments
that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for all children.

Standard 2. Building Family and Community Relationships. Candidates know about, understand, and value the importance and complex characteristics of children’s families and communities. They use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal
relationships that support and empower families, and to involve all families in their children’s development and learning.

Standard 3. Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families. Candidates know about and understand the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment. They know about and use systematic observations,
documentation, and other effective assessment strategies in a responsible way, in partnership with families and other professionals, to positively influence children’s development and learning.

Standard 4. Teaching and Learning. Candidates integrate their understanding of and relationships with children and families; their understanding of developmentally effective approaches to teaching and learning; and their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for all children.

Standard 5. Becoming a Professional. Candidates identify and conduct themselves as members of the early childhood profession. They know and use ethical guidelines and other professional standards related to early childhood practice. They are
continuous, collaborative learners who demonstrate knowledgeable, reflective, and critical perspectives on their work, making informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources. They are informed advocates for sound educational practices and policies.

Source: http://www.naeyc.org/faculty/pdf/2003.pdf