According to NAEYC, the first steps that preschools must take on the road to accreditation is enrollment and self-study. This means that accreditation hopefuls must enroll in NAEYC's process, assess their eligibility, determine strengths and weaknesses, make program improvements and develop a prospective timeline for qualification. Preschools must complete NAEYC's enrollment form and submit an enrollment fee. Fees vary, depending on the number of children in the preschool program. During the enrollment process, preschools must also register for NAEYC's TORCH Online Resource Center Headquarters, which provides information on accreditation criteria and requirements.
Enrolling in NAEYC's accreditation process isn't the same as applying. After submitting the enrollment fee and going through the self-study process, programs must complete a formal application, along with paying application fees. During the application process, preschools must meet specific requirements, including being either center- or school-based, having a minimum of 10 students who are between birth and kindergarten ages, a location in the U.S., one full year or more of center operation, licensed by the local regulatory agency and the willingness to meet NAEYC's Early Childhood Program Standards.
Preschools must supply the NAEYC Accreditation Coordinator, who is in charge of reviewing the application, with all candidacy materials. These include documentation of good standing with the local licensing agency, a description of how the program is compiling the required candidacy materials, documentation that the preschool has a satisfactory performance on NAEYC accreditation standards and documentation of staff qualifications. For example, staff qualifications may include bachelor's degrees for teachers and at least nine credit hours of training in educational leadership for program administrators.
NAEYC's final step to qualify for accreditation is meeting the standards. Preschools must provide a portfolio and undergo a site visit to ensure that they include the components in NAEYC's accreditation standards. There are 10 standards that fall under four categories. Standards for children and learning include relationships, curriculum, teaching, assessment and health. Family and community partner standards include how the center establishes relationships with parents and the greater local area. Program administration standards include the physical environment of the center as well as leadership and management. The last category of standards is teachers and teaching.