What if my program prepares teachers to work with a specific age group of young children, such as K – 3?
Programs often focus candidates’ preparation in a specific area of early childhood, such as K – 3 or Infants and Toddlers, especially when a program is in a state that designates licensure or certification in that specific area. For national recognition by NAEYC as an early childhood program, however, a program needs to demonstrate that candidates have exposure to learning and thinking about all young children across the full birth – age 8 range. Programs facing difficulties in addressing the full range are typically K – 3 certification programs that have difficulty addressing the birth to age 3 years. Although NAEYC does not require all programs to provide intense preparation for work in the 0 – 3 range, it does require that all candidates gain some knowledge about and exposure to effective approaches for working with infants and toddlers. Likewise, programs emphasizing infant and toddler development should provide candidates with opportunities to learn about the development and learn
