Accreditation
The pursuit of Accreditation is a voluntary choice for programs. The Director may initiate this decision; it may be requested by a parent or governing board, by funders, and/or by requirement of a grant that the program has received. Regardless of who initiates the pursuit, a program that is considering accreditation is interested in quality.
Accreditation is more than just a set of criteria that a program meets. It is the spirit of a program. It is the intent to ensure that a child experiences the very best throughout the child’s day and over time. It is important that programs considering accreditation understand that this is a system that is greater than the sum of its parts. Taken individually, each piece of the accreditation system identifies specific criteria that act as indicators of quality.
Quality early education is not a sterile process. It is worthwhile and a clear indicator for the community that a program is willing to focus its attention on the quality of experiences for young children. Thus, taken together, the accreditation system encompasses the spirit of a program — that invisible, indefinable something that is felt when one walks into a program where children come first and all decisions are made based on the question, “Is it Good for the Children?”
NAEYC Accredited Programs in Missouri
NAEYC maintains a list of programs that are currently accredited to assist individuals in finding NAEYC-accredited programs in their area.
About NAEYC Accreditation Programs
NAEYC strives to raise the quality of education for all children from birth through age eight. Accreditation systems are a major part of NAEYC’s efforts to improve early childhood education; they allow programs to provide the best learning experiences for young children and their educators by meeting national standards of quality. To learn more about NAEYC’s accreditation systems, visit the NAEYC website.
NAEYC Accreditation of Early Learning Programs
Since 1985, NAEYC’s national accreditation system has set professional standards for early childhood education programs, allowing families to find high-quality programs for their children. Using a set of research-based program standards, NAEYC Accreditation collaborates with early education centers to recognize great work already under way as well as understanding and addressing areas that need improvement.
In March 2025 NAEYC redesigned its accreditation system to better support early learning programs on their path to high-quality early education. The Early Learning Program Quality Assessment and Accreditation System offers a more inclusive, flexible, and streamlined model that reflects the realities of today’s early learning landscape. Grounded in Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and aligned with NAEYC’s Early Learning Program Standards, this new system makes it easier for programs of all types to demonstrate and sustain quality.
This revamp builds on years of feedback from early learning programs, state education agencies, and research institutions, as well as insights from pilot participants. The result is an accreditation model that reduces complexity, improves accessibility, and provides multiple pathways for programs to engage in continuous quality improvement. To learn more about NAEYC Accreditation of Early Learning Programs, visit the NAEYC website.
NAEYC Accredited Programs in Missouri
NAEYC maintains a list of programs that are currently accredited to assist individuals in finding NAEYC-accredited programs in their area.
Accreditation of Higher Education Programs
NAEYC values the role of higher education in advancing the early childhood education profession. Through its higher education accreditation system, NAEYC provides a mechanism for early childhood associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degree programs to demonstrate their commitment to high-quality professional preparation.
The NAEYC Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs awards accreditation to early childhood degree programs that demonstrate evidence of excellence by meeting the NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation Standards. The NAEYC accreditation process provides a framework for self-study, external evaluation, and improvement in the quality of teacher preparation programs. The system is committed to continuous improvement and is guided by the Code of Good Practice set forth by the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA), of which NAEYC is a member. There are currently 172 programs in 35 states with NAEYC-accredited higher education programs.
Other Accreditation Agencies
Missouri Accreditation
P.O. Box 997, Columbia MO 65205
Toll-free: 866-528-1288
moa@moaccreditation.org
Missouri Accreditation (MOA), designed to promote quality care and education programs for children from birth through twelve years, is committed to ensuring that Missouri’s children are in the best possible environment to flourish intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Missouri Accreditation recognizes programs that are striving for excellence. It provides child care and education professionals with quality indicators that serve as guidelines for all aspects of program planning and implementation. The quality indicators allow for a broad range of teaching and learning philosophies and are based on developmentally appropriate program planning and guidance. The MOA Self-Study Manual for Missouri Voluntary Accreditation of Early Childhood Education programs, although updated and revised, still has the basic structure, content, and process of the original, written in 1981. Besides the original manual, versions are now available for Infant/Toddler, School Age Child Care, and Family Homes.
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
Website: accreditation@nafcc.org
NAFCC is a national membership organization working with more than 400 state and local family child care provider associations across the United States. It sponsors the nationally recognized family child care accreditation system which helps providers set and reach quality improvement goals and helps parents and policymakers identify high-quality family child care.