What Is NAEYC?

Updated

NAEYC stands for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It is a professional association that advances high-quality early childhood education for children from birth through age 8. If you are a teacher, program leader, higher education faculty member, or another professional in early childhood education, NAEYC is built to support you and your work.

Who NAEYC Serves

NAEYC's audience is the early childhood education workforce and the programs that employ them. The organization describes its members and constituents as including:

  • Teachers
  • Program leaders
  • Higher education faculty members
  • Other professionals in early childhood education

The common thread is a professional role in serving young children, rather than a parent or consumer audience.

What NAEYC Does

NAEYC supports educators and programs across the field through several connected areas of work:

Area What it covers
Research-based resources High-quality books and materials that translate research into practice
Professional development Learning opportunities for early childhood professionals
Accreditation A system for programs to meet national standards of quality
Advocacy Shaping policy that affects early childhood education
Conferences Events where professionals connect and learn
Publications Titles such as Young Children and books like No Single Story
Community connection A professional community with member benefits and support

These functions are not separate tracks. They reinforce one another: research informs publications, publications feed professional development, and advocacy carries the field's needs to policymakers.

Membership and Member Benefits

NAEYC organizes member value around five categories it calls CARES:

  • Community
  • Advocacy
  • Resources
  • Events
  • Support

Members also receive exclusive discounts and savings. Some content and opportunities are marked "Members Only," including the annual conference registration spotlight, the fall issue of Young Children, the School District Leadership Cohort applications, and membership renewal itself. That means certain resources are gated behind membership rather than openly available.

A Century of Work

NAEYC is celebrating 100 years as an organization. That history matters for understanding its role: it has had a long presence in shaping standards, professional expectations, and policy conversations in early childhood education.

How to Engage with NAEYC

Depending on your goal, the entry points differ:

  • If you want to join the profession's network: explore NAEYC membership and its CARES benefits.
  • If you want to attend an event: registration is open for the Annual Conference 2026 in Washington, DC, and NAEYC runs other events throughout the year.
  • If you want practical inspiration for your practice: look at NAEYC's books and publications.
  • If you want your program recognized for quality: look into NAEYC accreditation and its national standards.
  • If you want to influence policy: NAEYC's advocacy work and "Take Action" pathway is the relevant channel.

Each of these starts from the same premise: NAEYC exists to support the professionals who educate young children, and its offerings are organized around that workforce rather than around a general public audience.