LCCC Early Childhood Programs Receive NAEYC Accreditation Renewal

Two Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) programs received renewed accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Commission, along with seven other institutions. The LCCC associate degree programs whose accreditation has been renewed are:

A.A.S. Early Childhood Education

A.A.S. Early Childhood Education—Early Intervention

This brings the total number of institutions with accredited programs to 177 since the system launched in 2006, with nearly 75 additional associate degree programs currently engaged in the self-study process.

As the Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation (ECADA) system approaches its ten-year anniversary, 33 states across the country now have programs that have received accreditation, demonstrating the increasing value being placed on the need for high-quality teacher preparation throughout the country.

The ECADA system raises the quality of teacher education by establishing professional preparation standards, which in turn raises the quality of early learning programs serving young children. 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

For more information on LCCC’s Early Childhood Education program, go to http://www.lccc.edu/academics/school-education.