The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs is currently seeking additional members for terms that begin January 1, 2025 and conclude December 31, 2027. 

What is NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation? 

NAEYC is the sole accreditor of early childhood degree programs within institutions of higher education. Using research informed, consensus-developed standards for ECE professional preparation program quality, NAEYC recognizes programs for meeting these standards. You can learn more about NAEYC higher education accreditation here.

What is the Commission?

The Commission is the governance body that sets the standards and policies for the accreditation system and renders the accreditation decisions. Commission members primarily represent early childhood leaders from early childhood degree programs and institutions of higher education.  The composition of the Commission reflects NAEYC’s commitment to being a high-performing, inclusive organization. The Commission is committed to assuring that its composition (1) includes individuals with a range of experience that support the mission and responsibilities of the Commission and the accreditation process; and (2) reflects the diversity of its constituency with specific attention to culture and ethnicity, language, geographic location, and gender. 

What does a Commissioner do? 

The majority of a Commissioner’s time is focused on reviewing accreditation cases. Preparation for Commission meetings include review and critical assessment of programs’ Self-Study Reports, Peer Review Team Reports, Written Responses to the team report, and Responses to Conditions. Preparing for an in-person Commission meeting may take approximately 25-30 hours (this includes reviewing program cases, writing draft decisions, and reviewing materials for other topics on the agenda).  Post-Commission meeting work may take approximately five hours to finalize decision reports for assigned cases.  In addition, Commissioners are expected to conduct business between meetings related to their standing committee work. 

Prior to Commission meetings, each Commissioner is assigned to a panel of 3-4 individuals.  Each person is assigned to be the lead reviewer for 1-3 cases (approx. 4-8 prep hours per case) depending on the meeting caseload and posts preliminary findings and recommendations prior to the start of the meeting.  Panelists are expected to respond to the lead reviewer’s findings and recommendations.  Commissioners utilize an online platform to conduct business, including posting and responding to preliminary findings and recommendations for assigned accreditation cases. On average, it might take ~30 hours to prepare for a 3-day Commission meeting and ~15 hours to prepare for a one-day meeting.

Other responsibilities include contributing to the review and revision of accreditation policies and procedures to support the continuous improvement of the accreditation system.

How long does a Commissioner serve? How often does the Commission meeting?

Commissioners serve for a three-year term and are limited to two consecutive terms.  Commission members commit to attend two 3-day meetings a year at NAEYC Headquarters (typically February and June) and to participate in half-day online meetings (typically May and November); and to actively serve as a member of at least one Commission standing committee. 

Are there particular qualifications Commissioners must have?

Below we describe important professional qualifications and personal characteristics that contribute to Commissioners being able to successfully carry out their responsibilities.  

Professional Criteria:  The ideal candidate has: a demonstrated commitment to the aims of early childhood teacher education at higher education institutions; an understanding of the nature of program accreditation systems; prior or current professional experience related to early childhood professional preparation; experience working in an institution that is an MSI, HSI, HBCU or institution that serves large populations of students of color and/or students who are English language learners;  experience implementing policies and practices that have advanced DEIB in professional or personal work; experience using the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators ; and knowledge of  NAEYC’s higher education accreditation system.

Personal Criteria: The ideal candidate has demonstrated ability to: work and make decisions in a close collegial environment; consider information and data impartially to make rational and timely decisions; communicate information succinctly and clearly in writing; and concentrate on issues which are complex, challenging and sometimes tedious. 

In addition, the individual must have the capacity to read large volumes of accreditation reports in a condensed period of time. Typically, Commissioners have approximately 3-4 weeks to review their assigned lead and panel cases and create draft accreditation decisions prior to Commission meetings. Cases involving initial or renewal accreditation can run 150-200 pages a case (Self-Study Report, Peer Review Report and the program’s Written Response), and cases involving programs on conditions can run 30-60 pages a case (Annual Report and sometimes the program’s previous Commission Feedback Letters and Accreditation Decision Reports).

Priority Criteria:  In keeping with the Commission’s commitment to maintaining a diverse composition, it is particularly seeking individuals who represent at least one of the following areas:

• Is an individual of non-Caucasian background
• Is an individual working in an HBCU, HSI, tribal colleges or MSI
• Is male
• Current ECE faculty or higher education administrators with prior ECE faculty experience
• Is an individual working in an institution in the South or Mid-Atlantic region

Is there other important information I should know about serving on the Commission?

As a Commission we try to schedule our meetings a year out. Here is our 2025 meeting schedule.

• February 26-28, 2025, Washington DC
• May 30, 2025, 1:00-4:30 EST – This will be a virtual meeting
• June 25-27, 2025, Washington DC
• November TBD 2025 – This will be a virtual meeting

The Commission is a volunteer entity, and, as such, Commissioners do not receive compensation for their service. Travel and other direct costs related to attending regular, special or committee meetings, workshops or site visits are paid by NAEYC.

Depending on your institution, tenure on the Commission can count toward service or scholarship institutional requirements.

How do I apply? 

Interested individuals should submit their resume and a brief statement describing their interest and qualifications (no more than 500 words) to [email protected] by Oct 15, 2024.  Applicants are encouraged to review the Accreditation Handbook and Commission Handbook as well as the Commission Culture Commitments. Given the time commitment required of each Commissioner, we encourage you to discuss this opportunity with your leadership to ensure you have the full support of your institution/employer.

For questions, please contact Mary Harrill at [email protected] or (202) 350-8834.