research policy practice

2011AnnualReport

national association for the education of young children

Nresearch policy practice

AEYC—The leading

membership association

for those working with

and on behalf of children

birth through age 8

NAEYC convenes thought leaders, teachers and other practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders to set standards of excellence for programs and professionals in early childhood education. NAEYC programs and services promote broad implementation of these standards by• accrediting programs for chil-

dren and professional prepara-tion that meet our standards;

• supporting effective teach- ers and programs through an

extensive portfolio of professional development resources and networking opportunities for early childhood teachers, paraeducators, administrators, college faculty, and others;

• advocating effective public policies and promoting systems development to create a well-financed, high-quality system of early childhood develop-ment and education for all young children; and

• nurturing leaders who share the commitment to be an evermore high-performing inclusive organization.

All of NAEYC’s work is done within the framework of developmentally appropriate practice. This framework asserts that effective approaches to teaching and learning require knowledge of typical patterns of children’s be-havior and learning, combined with knowledge of each individual child, within the context of that child’s specific family, community, and culture.

NAEYC’s commitment to effective teaching practices for all young chil-dren is complemented by our commitment to be a high-performing inclusive organization that actively demonstrates the values of diversity, inclusion, and reflective learning.

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www.naeyc.org

2011AnnualReport

national association for the education of young children

T ogether with our state and local Affiliates, NAEYC offers a community

where all those committed to improving teaching and learning for

young children birth through age 8 can come together, learn, and

take action on behalf of children and the early childhood profes-

sion. Fundamental to this community is our commitment to bring the lens of

child development to our work, to seek and respectfully listen to diverse points

of view, to consider implications of different cultural contexts, and to support

each other’s learning in ways that strengthen the connections between re-

search, policy, and practice.

Purposefully bringing together diverse points of view, we craft position

statements, set standards, and develop guidelines that define excellence for

early childhood professionals and programs. We strive to put our standards

into practice by offering publications and resources that support professional

development and by recognizing programs that meet our standards. We

encourage further research and work to ensure that federal, state, and local

policies result in a high-quality system of early childhood education. Our goal

is a system that supports all children and families as well as a stable cadre of

well-qualified and equitably compensated early childhood professionals who

reflect the diversity of communities.

This annual report describes the many ways in which NAEYC is supporting

more effective teaching and learning for all young children.

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research policy practice

AEYC brings together thought leaders, teachers and other prac-titioners, researchers, and other stakeholders to share cutting-edge information regarding early child-hood-related research, policy, and practice and to work to advance each of these areas. NAEYC-sponsored conferences are among the largest gatherings of early child-hood professionals in the world. NAEYC’s local, state, and regional Affiliates also host meetings and conferences throughout the year, offering many more opportuni-ties for early childhood educa-tors to exchange ideas and learn together. Interest Forums encour-age networking among members who share a particular interest or concern. NAEYC’s expanding use of social media offers new venues for our traditional convening role.

Annual Conference and ExpoThe NAEYC Annual Conference and Expo is one of the foremost professional development experiences for the early childhood field. Each year, the Con-ference features hundreds of peer-reviewed presentations and exhibits and additional opportunities for early childhood teachers and other professionals to learn about the latest research, discuss new ideas for professional prepara-tion, and network and share with colleagues. Orlando, Florida, was the site of the successful 2011 Annual Conference. Vivian Gussin Paley delivered an inspiring keynote address, describing teachers’ successful, intentional use of play within a standards-based approach to kindergarten. The 2012 Annual Conference will be held November 7 to 10 in Atlanta, Georgia, with the theme, “Developmentally Appropriate Practice in the 21st Century.”

Public Policy ForumIn March 2011, teams of NAEYC Affiliate leaders from almost every state came to Washington, D.C., for the annual NAEYC Public Policy Forum. They met with their US senators and representatives to discuss critical issues, focusing especially on funding for early childhood programs, reauthoriza-tion of the Child Care & Development Block Grant, and the Elementary &

NAEYC brings together thought leaders, teachers and other practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders

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Secondary Education Act. The Public Policy Forum also featured a discussion with Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and a number of nationally recognized policy experts addressed key national and state issues.

National Institute for Early Childhood Professional DevelopmentMore than 2,000 participants gathered in Providence, Rhode Island, in June 2011, for NAEYC’s National Institute. Higher education faculty, program ad-ministrators, trainers, and state and national policymakers explored aligning curriculum and assessment with the use of best practices in teaching young children. The 2012 National Institute will be held June 10 to 13 in Indianapo-lis, Indiana, with the theme, “Leadership throughout the Early Childhood Profession: Research, Policy, and Practice.”

National Summit: State Professional Development Leadership Team Work DayState leadership teams from 38 states and expert facilitators from more than 30 national organizations comprised the more than 325 participants at the 2011 National Summit: 4th Annual State Professional Development

Leadership Team Work Day held in conjunction with the 2011 Na-tional Institute. Funded with the support of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance and the McCormick Foundation, the Summit offered peer-to-peer discussions, state team meetings, and an interactive plenary session that explored the challenges of system building and maintenance during fiscal crises.

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AEYC is widely respected for its role in setting standards of excel-lence for professionals and early childhood programs and adopting position statements that guide early childhood practice, policy, and research. Undergirding all of our work is developmentally appropri-ate practice (DAP), a framework of principles and guidelines for best practice in the care and education of young children, birth through age 8. Grounded both in the research on how young children develop and learn and in what is known about education effectiveness, the DAP principles and guidelines outline practice that promotes young children’s optimal learning and development. NAEYC’s standards for professional preparation, early childhood program standards, code of ethics, and other position state-ments complement and support

developmentally appropriate practice. In 2011, the NAEYC Governing Board approved an updated Code of Ethical Conduct and Supplement for Program Administrators. Last approved in 2005, the 2011 Code and Supplement reaffirm the key concepts, with updates made to provide clarity and consistency in the Code and its two Supplements—for Program Administrators and for Adult Educators. In addition, changes were made to Ideals and Principles in the Code and the Supplement regarding responsibilities to families to strengthen the concepts of reciprocity and mutual-ity, consistent with current best practices regarding family engagement. Work continued on two position statements in collaboration with other partners in 2011. A statement on children and technology with the Fred Rogers Center neared completion (Editor’s note: this statement was adopted in January 2012). Work on a statement on Response to Intervention (RTI) also continued through a partnership with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Head Start Association, funded with the support of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. This state-ment is also expected to be completed in 2012.

Setting Standards of Excellence

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Center for Applied Research NAEYC’s Center for Applied Research works to strengthen the Associa-tion’s commitment to link research, policy, and practice in support of early childhood professionals and those they serve. The goal is to enhance evidence-based standards and practices in the field and to ensure research is supporting the tough real-life decisions educators and policymakers must make. To help practitioners become critical consum-ers of research, the Center regularly posts commentary on studies in the news, for example, “Dissecting the Sponge Bob Study” in September, or “Debunking the Play vs. Learning Dichotomy” in November. In-depth reports provide guidance on criti-cal issues. For example, “Developing Kindergarten Readiness and Other Large-Scale Assessment Systems: Necessary Considerations in the As-sessment of Young Children,” offers a valuable framework for systems builders and policymakers developing and implementing large-scale kinder-garten readiness assessments.

Diversity and Cultural CompetenceAppreciation of the cultural context in which development and learning occur is a critical component of developmentally appropriate practice that is central to all of NAEYC’s standard-setting efforts. Recent grant support allowed NAEYC to develop resources to encourage diversity and support cultural competence in early childhood programs. The A.L. Mailman Foundation sup-ported the Pathways to Cultural Competence project which has explored the feasibility of and piloting strategies to infuse issues of cultural competence in state Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). Currently, 11 states, the District of Columbia, and one county are participating in the project: Arkansas, California, Colorado, D.C., Louisiana, Miami-Dade County (Florida), Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. They are using project-developed checklists to reflect on their implementation of culturally competent practices and to determine areas in which they can improve. NAEYC’s Governing Board reaffirmed its commitment to its principles for high-performing inclusive organizations (HPIO) in 2011 and directed staff

to develop a set of self-paced learn-ing modules to familiarize national and Affiliate leaders with HPIO concepts and provide opportuni-ties for reflective discussions.

NAEYC’s commitment to being a high-performing organization is not new, but recent demograph-ics emphasize the imperative for expanding this essential work, as children of color are now the majority of all children age 3 and younger in the United States.

www.naeyc.org

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research policy practice

ecognizing programs that meet our stan-dards of excellence is one of the key ways NAEYC models ongoing quality improve-ment, the core of our mission. Accredited programs demonstrate NAEYC standards in action, providing exemplars of good

practice for the profession and the commu-nity at large.

Early Childhood Professional Preparation NAEYC’s Standards for Early Childhood Professional

Preparation provide a unifying framework to guide professional development for all early childhood

professionals. The standards are implemented through two different accreditation systems. As

a constituent member of the National Coun-cil for Accreditation of Teacher Education

(NCATE), NAEYC reviews Initial and Advanced early childhood programs

in institutions seeking NCATE accreditation. Approxi-mately 425 programs are currently NAEYC recog-

nized in 37 states. Additionally, NCATE State Partnerships provide recognition of NAEYC’s professional preparation standards as the national standards for early childhood teachers.

The NAEYC Commission on Early Childhood Associate Degree Accredita-tion celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2011. Currently, 139 associate degree programs in 26 states have received accreditation, and an additional 100 programs are in self-study, representing 14 additional states.

The power of the unifying framework across systems is clear. Because they use the same standards, the possibility of articulation agreements between associate and baccalaureate degree institutions is greatly enhanced. Such agreements expand the opportunities for many early childhood profes-sionals to enhance their professional qualifications.

NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program AccreditationThe NAEYC Academy is the nation’s premiere accreditation system for pro-grams in schools and centers serving young children birth through kinder-garten, with nearly 7,000 accredited programs nationwide and around the world on US military installations. The last quarter of 2011 marked the most significant increase in the number of NAEYC-Accredited programs since the 2006 reinvention.

Accrediting Programs for Early Childhood Professional Preparation and for Young Children

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Programs engaged in NAEYC Accreditation bring the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards to life. They offer a living laboratory in which to explore critical issues related to the provision of high-quality early childhood education. Accreditation site visits provide the NAEYC Academy the opportunity to collect meaningful data as programs are observed bringing evidence-based standards to life. The NAEYC Academy, in conjunction with the Center for Applied Research, began publishing a series of Trend Briefs in 2011 based on an analysis of performance data. The Trend Briefs tell the story of successful approaches used by high-quality programs and connect the findings to early childhood research trends.

In 2011, the NAEYC Academy continued its efforts to streamline its accreditation process and increase its transparency. Pilot projects with key

states demonstrated ways to reduce redundancies in the submission of teacher and administrator qualifications. Additionally, tools for self-assessment that mirror those used by NAEYC Assessors were released, and Accreditation Decision Reports (ADR) to all deferred or denied programs were modified to further support continuous quality improvement.

www.naeyc.org

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research policy practice

NAEYC offers an extensive array of periodicals, books, and other professional development resources to support the professional preparation and ongoing professional development of early child-hood teachers, administrators, faculty, and other professionals.

Supporting Effective Teachers and Programs

PeriodicalsYoung Children, the award-winning, peer-reviewed journal, keeps NAEYC members and their colleagues informed about best practices for and latest ideas in early education. Each issue features a cluster on a specific topic; 2011 clusters included emotional intelligence, supporting children’s communica-tion, innovative approaches to preparing and supporting teachers, challeng-ing behaviors, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and cur-rent trends and initiatives in early childhood. One of the most valued benefits of membership, Young Children is available in print as well as electronically, along with a growing archive. NEXT for Young Children offers ready-to-use guides to accompany each issue, building on the content in ways that connect research to practice and encourage reflection and application of new ideas.

Teaching Young Children offers practical, research-based information. It is designed for preschool teachers on the go, with its brief, direct, and friendly writing style and many photographs illustrating teaching ideas and strategies. This fast-growing magazine also has an accompanying staff development guide, NEXT for TYC. Reflecting our commitment to reach diverse audiences, Teaching Young Children is also published in Spanish as Tesores y Colores.

NAEYC’s newest resource is an online, professional development tool that combines a digital version of Teaching Young Children (TYC), with the profes-sional development resource NEXT for TYC in an easy-to-use, digital format. Early childhood professionals who use eLearn: TYC can discover best prac-tices, connect with a community of learners, and succeed in the classroom and beyond. E-Learn TYC is available to agencies and organizations that enter a product licensing agreement with NAEYC.

Voices of Practitioners: Teacher Research in Early Childhood Education is NAEYC’s online, peer-reviewed journal. It provides a vehicle for publishing the research of early childhood teachers, who are often underrepresented as authors in the educational research arena.

NAEYC’s scholarly journal, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, explores the latest research on early childhood development and provides advice on apply-ing research in classroom or university settings. Published by Elsevier, ECRQ is widely recognized for its social, policy, and educational relevance and its work that strengthens links between research and practice.

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BooksNAEYC has an extensive books publishing program, offering more than 100 titles. NAEYC Comprehensive members receive selected publications imme-diately upon their publication—a great way to stay informed. NAEYC books are popular resources for many college courses, offering students valuable information and helping them connect to their professional association. Titles in 2011 included Big Body Play, Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children and Extend Their Learning, The Basics of Developmentally Appropri-ate Practice for Infants and Toddlers, and Spotlight on Children and Nature. NAEYC provides supplementary materials on its website to accompany selected books. These materials include opportunities to engage in Q&A with authors, as well as links to related resources.

Professional Development SolutionsRecognizing the varied needs of practitioners and professional development specialists, NAEYC now offers a variety of training delivery methods—Web- and computer-based, face-to-face and online, training-of-trainers, and direct training for practitioners. Current training topics include developmentally appropriate practice and play, child assessment, human resource management, and communicating with families in challenging situations. A new model for training was introduced in 2011. NAEYC trained instructors for the state professional development system in Delaware on developmentally appropri-ate practice and child assessment. These instructors are now delivering this training to all child care staff throughout the state. This program was the result of a new initiative in which senior staff members are now available to help programs and agencies determine how to best use NAEYC resources in their professional development programs and activities.

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AEYC works together with its network of more than 300 Affiliate Groups in com-munities, states, the District of Columbia, and US territories, to advance our shared mission on behalf of young children and the early childhood profession and to further strengthen our commitment to be an evermore high-performing inclusive organization.

Affiliate Groups provide members with many different opportunities to engage in professional development, advocacy, and networking activities with colleagues at all levels. Affiliates are repre-sented by the Affiliate Council, an NAEYC advisory body that provides leadership and guidance to further strengthen the capacity of the NAEYC Affiliate network. A major focus for the Association in 2011 was the National Dialogue, designed to explore the optimal relationships between NAEYC and its Affiliates. The Dialogue, involving in-depth meetings at both

NAEYC’s National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development and An-nual Conference, as well as a series of regional meetings, will lead to a set of recom-mendations by the Affiliate Council for Board consideration in 2012.

Nurturing NAEYC Leaders NAEYC is committed to being a model of diverse leadership and leadership devel-opment. A number of NAEYC leadership programs are supported by the Lasting Legacy Campaign, through the generous contributions of NAEYC members and others that support the development of a diverse cadre of leaders.

Lasting Legacy scholarships help recipients attend NAEYC’s Annual Confer-ence or National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development. Sixteen emerging leaders received funding to attend the Annual Conference or the Na-tional Institute in 2011. Additionally, the first Diane Trister Dodge Lasting Legacy Scholarship provided full-expense support for Alberto Mares of Santa Fe, New Mexico, to attend the National Institute in 2011.

The NAEYC Leadership Fellows program is NAEYC’s newest leader-ship initiative in which NAEYC partners with selected leadership development programs in early childhood education. Fellows complete projects with NAEYC Affiliates and receive support to attend additional NAEYC-focused activities. Six fellowships were awarded in 2011.

Advancing NAEYC

From left: Martha Muñoz, NAEYC

Consultant, with NAEYC Leadership Fellows

Loretta Hayslip, Diane Romero Campbell,

Diane Garrett-King, Araceli Lopez, Michelle

Carroll, and Linda Pauley.

Accreditation of Programs for Young Children $5,990,767 28%Publications, Journal, Ads and Subscriptions $5,099,114 24%Conferences $2,398,689 11%Member Services $1,539,251 7%Operations $3,643,902 17%Other Programs $1,917,102 9%Research and Development Reserve $644,405 3%Total $21,233,230 100%

Excludes gain in net assets from interest rate swap of $175,218

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www.naeyc.org

This was a challenging year for NAEYC due to the continuing impact of the economic recession. Additionally, many of our core operations—membership, conferences, and publication sales—have been affected by rapid changes in technology and informa-

tion delivery, changing patterns of affiliation and volunteer participation, and increased costs and challenges in travel. We are fortunate to have a strong base of reserves to help us weather the storm as we adapt our services to meet this changing context.

Financial Report

Accreditation of Programs for Young Children $4,276,666 25%Periodicals, Books, and Other Resources $5,527,147 32% Conferences $4,137,837 24%Member Services $1,277,700 7% Operations $1,484,399 9%Other Programs $500,245 3% Total $17,203,994 100%

iNCome

iNCome

eXPeNSe

eXPeNSe

24%

28%

11%

9%

32%

25%

17%

3%

24%7%

3%

7%

9%

Based on final, audited results for Fiscal Year 2011, which ended August 31, 2011

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research policy practice

NAEYC Governing Board The NAEYC Governing Board holds fiduciary responsibility for the Association. Board members are nominated on the basis of their ability to make thoughtful decisions that are in the best interests of the entire Association. Serving four-year terms that begin on June 1, Board members are elected by members on a staggered basis in annual elections.

NAEYC deeply appreciates the leadership contributions of these members through their Board service in FY 11.

Governance, Advisory, and Review Groups

Stephanie Fanjul, President, North Carolina Part-nership for Children, Raleigh

Gera Jacobs, President-Elect beginning June 2011, University of South Dakota, Vermillion

Roberta Schomburg, Vice President, Car-low University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Barbara Yates, Treasurer, Resources for Child Car-ing, St. Paul, Minnesota

Susan DeVenny, Secretary, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, Columbia

Thomas Brock Sr., Kuspuk School District, Aniak, Alaska

Stephanie M. Curenton, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Harriet A. Egertson, through May 2011, Early Child-hood Consultant, Temecula, California

Danielle Ewen, District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, D.C.

Yolanda Garcia, through May 2011, WestEd, Insti-tute for Advancing Excellence in Early Educa-tion, San Jose, California

Rebecca Gomez, Columbia University, New York, New York

Jim Lesko, beginning June 2011, Delaware Depart-ment of Education, Dover

Anna Mercer-McLean, Community School for People Under Six, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Amy O’Leary, beginning June 2011, Strategies for Children, Boston, Massachusetts

Thomas Rendon, Iowa Head Start State Collabo-ration Office, Des Moines

Sharon Ritchie, Frank Porter Graham Child Devel-opment Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

James A. Scott Jr., through May 2011, Ohio Depart-ment of Education, Head Start Collaboration, Columbus

Debra Sullivan, Praxis Institute for Early Child-hood Education, Seattle, Washington

Ginger Marie Swigart, beginning June 2011, Sacra-mento County Office of Education, Sacramento, California

Dennis Sykes, Ohio State University, Columbus

Jerlean E. Daniel, Ex Officio, NAEYC Executive Director

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NAEYC Affiliate CouncilState AEYCs identify representatives to serve on the NAEYC Affiliate Council, which provides a networking forum for Affiliate leaders and develops recommenda-tions for the NAEYC Governing Board regarding Affiliate issues. The following members served as the Executive Committee of the Affiliate Council in FY 11: Betsy Carlin, Chair Margaret Bauer, Past Chair Melanie Felton, Chair-Elect Jamie Ashton, beginning January 2011 Pamala Brooks Lillien Englund Marie Enochty Jennifer Griffith Laura Presley-Reynolds, beginning January 2011 Karen Smith, beginning January 2011 Connie Stout Roberta Schomburg, Governing Board Liaison Gwen Simmons, Staff LiaisonNAEYC also expresses its appreciation to those individu-als who served as state representatives to the Affiliate Council.

Finance and Fund Development CommitteeDwayne Rush (beginning May 2011) and Sue Russell (beginning June 2011) served as at-large members for this committee in 2011. They joined Board members Barbara Yates, Treasurer, Committee Chair; Thomas Rendon; and Jim Lesko.

Nominating PanelToni Cacace-Beshears, Miriam Calderon (beginning June 2011), Marquita Davis (through May 2011), Jana Fleming, and Dan Haggard served as at-large members for this committee in 2011. They joined Board members Danielle Ewen, Panel Chair; Susan DeVenny; and Anna Mercer-McLean.

NAEYC AccreditationTo ensure the independence of NAEYC Accreditation de-cisions from membership issues, the NAEYC Governing Board delegates responsibility for ensuring each system’s equity, integrity, and accountability. NAEYC expresses its appreciation to the following members who served in these governance structures in FY 11:

Council for NAEYC Accreditation of Programs for Young Children

Teri Talan, Chair Noelle Bee Sandy Blanco Marilyn Favreau Francesca Gallozzi Meir Muller Diane Nicolet (through April 2011) James Squires Nancy Von Bargen Linda Hassan Anderson, Staff Liaison

NAEYC Commission for Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation

Rebecca Brinks, Chair Elisa Huss-Hage, Chair-Elect Tracey Bennett, beginning January 2011 Isela Castanon-Williams Camille Catlett Rebecca Gorton John J. Johnston Deborah Jordan, through December 2010 Toni Ungaretti Alison Lutton, Ex Officio

Advisory Panels and Review PanelsHundreds of individual members contributed their lead-ership by serving as members of various panels at the na-tional level as well as in the NAEYC network of affiliated state and local organizations. NAEYC deeply appreciates these volunteer efforts that are helping us make a differ-ence in the lives of young children by improving quality in early childhood education and enhancing the status of the early childhood profession. Members of the various panels may be found at www.naeyc.org/getinvolved.

www.naeyc.org

NAEYC’s Vision of Excellence in Early Childhood Education

A vision underscored by the principles of equity, inclusion,

and respect for diversity so that

• All young children receive high-quality early childhood education

regardless of the setting or auspice of the program.

• High-quality programs are accessible to all families, regardless

of income.

• Effective early education challenges young children and is appro-

priate to their ages, individual needs, and cultures.

• Early childhood professionals have excellent preparation, ongoing

professional development, and compensation commensurate with

their qualifications and experience.

1313 L Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005-4101 800-424-2460 www.naeyc.org

National Association for the Education of Young Children