For more information, contact
Don Owens at NAEYC
202-350-8857
Email: dowens@naeyc.org

For Immediate Release:
May 2, 2008

Five Colleges Earn NAEYC Early Childhood
Associate Degree Accreditation

National Program Sets Standard of Excellence in Early Childhood Teacher Education

(Washington, D.C.) – The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Commission on Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation has granted accreditation to five additional associate degree programs, bringing the total accredited programs to 39 since 2006.

The accreditation system establishes professional preparation standards to raise the quality of teacher education, and in turn raise the quality of early childhood education programs serving young children.

“Teacher quality is a crucial component in providing high-quality early childhood education to millions of children across the country,” said Jerlean Daniel, Ph.D., Deputy Executive Director of NAEYC.  “Establishing high standards for associate degree programs is an important step towards raising the quality of all teacher preparation programs.”

The newly accredited associate degree programs include:

• Maryland - Community College of Baltimore County
• Ohio - Owens Community College
• Oklahoma - Tulsa Community College
• South Carolina - Piedmont Technical College
• Tennessee - Nashville State Community College

Federal Head Start regulations call for an associate’s degree or higher for teachers. Many states include early childhood associate degrees in their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for child care and preschool programs. Associate degree programs can lead to early childhood teacher certification, required in many states for pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers. NAEYC’s professional standards for early childhood degree programs provide a high measure of quality by which programs can be evaluated.

For more information on NAEYC ECADA system, visit www.naeyc.org/faculty/asdeg.asp