The Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC) strongly supports the accreditation process offered by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) for programs serving children birth through five years of age.  Quality early care and education is essential for the future success of Georgia ’s children, and GAYC recognizes NAEYC Accreditation as an outstanding, leading measurement of quality for early childhood programs that can assist Georgia in improving the quality of early care and education. To learn more about NAEYC Accreditation or to access resources to assist your program as you pursue NAEYC Accreditation, please click on the links and files of interest below.

General Information about NAEYC Accreditation:

• NAEYC’s website, www.naeyc.org
• Information for families about NAEYC Accreditation, www.rightchoiceforkids.org
• Choosing Accreditation:  A Guide to Recognizing Quality in Early Childhood Education

 NAEYC Accreditation of Programs for Young Children is the mark of quality in early childhood education, with thousands of programs currently accredited nationwide. Keeping this in mind, NAEYC has developed two 90-second promotional videos outlining the benefits of NAEYC Accreditation. 

The new videos can be viewed on the NAEYC Web site, the Right Choice for Kids Web site, TORCH, and NAEYC’s YouTube channel.

Video 1: NAEYC Accreditation — The Right Choice for Kids

Audience: Families seeking high-quality child care.

http://www.youtube.com/naeycvideos#p/a/f/0/Ge30ELAtQes   

Video 2: Program Administrators — Your Program, NAEYC Accredited  

Audience: Early childhood education program  administrators and staff in not yet NAEYC-Accredited programs.

 http://www.youtube.com/naeycvideos#p/a/f/1/sa0gcfnD17E

GAYC Services to Support NAEYC Accreditation:

• 30-hour GAYC Institute on NAEYC Accreditation offered annually.  The next Institute will be June 14-18, 2010 in Atlanta, GA.   Download a registration form in the files of interest section below.
• Technical Assistance is offered to centers throughout the state to help programs improve their quality and strive for NAEYC Accreditation.  Call 404-222-0014 or 800-865-4326 or email us at gayc@algxmail.com for more information on technical assistance services. GAYC keeps a waiting list for licensed centers.
• The GAYC Together for Children Conference highlights NAEYC Accreditation by offering accreditation sessions and honoring programs in Georgia who have received NAEYC Accreditation in the past year at our Awards Banquet.  Attend the next GAYC Together for Children Conference on October 8-9, 2010.
• Advancing Careers through Education and Training offers free career advisement and education for teachers and administrators seeking to further their education.  Call us at 888-405-2238 or visit the Advancing Careers webpage at http://www.gayconline.org/
• Downloadable Flyers regarding NAEYC Accreditation.  Scroll down to the Files of Interest section to download each of these documents.
  • GAYC Position Statement:  NAEYC Accreditation in Georgia
  • Tips for Classroom Portfolios 
  • Myths about NAEYC Accreditation

• Sign up for TORCH, an online learning community hosted by NAEYC. Download instructions in the Files of Interest section below.
• Sign up for NAEYC Accreditation E-Updates, http://www.naeyc.org/academy/primary/eupdates
• To view past issues of NAEYC Accreditation E-Updates, http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/naeycae/issues/
• Frequently Asked Questions about NAEYC Accreditation, http://www.naeyc.org/academy/primary/faqs 
• Get help from NAEYC directly with your own NAEYC Accreditation questions, accreditation.information@naeyc.org or 1-800-424-2460 option 3, then option 1.
• NAEYC Accreditation Scholarship applications for currently accredited programs and first time applicants, http://www.naeyc.org/academy/primary/helpscholarships
• Tips for Classroom Portfolios from GAYC
• List of NAEYC Accreditation Program Support Resources, http://www.naeyc.org/files/academy/file/APSResourcesFlyer.pdf
• Overview of NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards, http://www.naeyc.org/files/academy/file/OverviewStandards.pdf
• FIRST Program:  Earn a $1200 incentive for eligible early care and education professionals who earn their first early care and education credential between September 1, 2009 and July 1, 2011. http://decal.ga.gov/ChildCareServices/FirstProgram.aspx

• Educational Qualifications Overview and FAQs, http://www.naeyc.org/academy/pursuing/edquals/overview

Find a NAEYC Accredited Center in Your Area in Georgia :

• Search by city, state, or zip code, http://www.naeyc.org/academy/primary/find  
• Congratulations to the newly accredited and reaccredited centers in Georgia who earned their NAEYC Accreditation in 2009!  To view a list of 2009 Georgia NAEYC Accredited centers, see the Files of Interest section below.

Other Useful Links for Programs Working on Quality Improvement:

• Bright from the Start:  Georgia ’s Department of Early Care and Learning, www.decal.ga.gov
• Child Care Aware, www.childcareaware.org
• Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Environment Rating Scales, http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ecers/
• Georgia Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (GACCRRA), http://www.gaccrra.org/
• Georgia Early Learning Standards, http://decal.ga.gov/ChildCareServices/GeorgiaEarlyLearningStandards.aspx National Network for Child Care, www.nncc.org
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, www.nichcy.org
• Smart Start Georgia, www.smartstartga.org