HFC earns NAEYC accreditation for excellence in early childhood education
HFC is one of six educational institutions to recently earn accreditation for its associate degree in children and families from the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Education Programs.
“NAEYC accreditation is a hallmark of the caliber of our Children and Education programs here at HFC,” said Marlene White, director of HFC’s Children and Families program.
Early childhood professional preparation programs serve a wide range of students and prepare early childhood educators for a variety of early learning settings. Accreditation serves as a mechanism for ensuring a consistent and high level of program quality and alignment to the NAEYC Initial and Advanced Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs, while respecting the unique mission and context of each degree program.
Becoming accredited
To earn and retain accreditation, professional preparation programs must demonstrate that they:
• Align to NAEYC’s professional preparation standards
• Respond to the unique needs of their degree candidates and communities
• Provide intentional learning experiences for their degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective early childhood educators
• Continuously assess and reflect on their degree candidates’ performance
Based in Washington, D.C., NAEYC is the professional organization that sets national standards for programs that prepare early childhood teachers of children from birth through 8 years old. NAEYC accredits eligible early childhood education programs at all degree levels that demonstrate evidence of meeting the NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards.
Accreditation also provides a framework for self-study, external evaluation, and improvement in the quality of teacher preparation programs. Accredited programs align learning experiences and assessments with national standards and use student performance data to improve teaching and learning.
“To be accredited by NAEYC is quite an accomplishment for the College,” said White. “I’m very proud of the team members who worked diligently to earn this accreditation.”