Navigating Professional Standards in Early Childhood Education Curriculum

Early childhood education (ECE) is a rewarding profession that lays the foundation for young children's future educational careers. Effective early childhood educators are critical for realizing the early childhood profession’s vision that each and every young child, birth through age 8, have equitable access to high-quality learning and care environments. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has developed standards intended for all early childhood educators to ensure a strong foundation for their work. These standards drive curriculum development, learning space design, teaching practices, and communication with children, families, and peers.

The Importance of Professional Standards

Professional standards in early childhood education play a crucial role in ensuring quality care and education for young children. These standards provide a framework for educators to make informed decisions, develop effective teaching practices, and create supportive learning environments. By adhering to these standards, early childhood educators can ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

NAEYC's Professional Standards and Competencies

NAEYC's Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators (2019) represent the core body of knowledge, skills, dispositions, and values that early childhood educators must demonstrate to be effective teachers of young children. These standards are designed to guide higher education programs in preparing future early childhood educators.

Key Components of the NAEYC Standards

Each NAEYC standard contains key competencies that clarify the core principles. These competencies are leveled to correspond with the three ECE designations (ECE I, II, and III) described in the Unifying Framework. Here's a breakdown of the key standards:

Standard 1: Child Development and Learning in Context

Early childhood educators need a strong foundation in the development of children from birth through age 8 across many different domains. This standard emphasizes the importance of understanding child development during the period of early childhood from birth through age 8 across developmental domains. Educators should recognize that each child is an individual with unique developmental variations and understand that children learn and develop within multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, communities, and society. Using this knowledge, educators can make informed decisions on how to implement their educational responsibilities. Candidates understand the impact of different theories and philosophies of early learning and development on assessment, curriculum, instruction, and intervention decisions. Candidates apply knowledge of normative developmental sequences and variations, individual differences within and across the range of abilities, including developmental delays and disabilities, and other direct and indirect contextual features that support or constrain children’s development and learning.

Standard 2: Family and Community Partnerships

This standard emphasizes that early childhood education does not exist in a vacuum, but is reliant upon educators’ partnerships with the families of the young children they serve. It underscores the importance of educators’ partnerships with the families of the young children they serve. Educators should understand and value the diversity in family characteristics and actively involve families in their young children’s development and learning. This involves building connections between settings, schools, and community organizations and agencies. Candidates use their knowledge of family-centered practices and family systems theory to develop and maintain reciprocal partnerships with families. They apply family capacity-building practices as they support families to make informed decisions and advocate for their young children.

Standard 3: Assessment

This standard focuses on the purpose of assessment in early childhood education, which is to inform instruction and planning in early learning settings. Observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment approaches and tools should be developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child. Educators use assessment to inform instruction and planning in early learning settings. They employ observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment approaches and tools to document developmental progress and promote positive outcomes for each child. Based on the findings, educators plan learning experiences that cater to each child's progress. Candidates know and understand the purposes of assessment in relation to ethical and legal considerations. Candidates choose developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate tools and methods that are responsive to the characteristics of the young child, family, and program. Using evidence-based practices, candidates develop or select as well as administer informal measures, and select and administer formal measures in partnership with families and other professionals.

Standard 4: Developmentally Effective Teaching Practices

This standard addresses the complexity of reaching all children, as methods and strategies will often need to be adjusted depending on the child’s age, the learning environment, and the individual developmental needs of the child. It emphasizes the importance of creating environments in which teaching and learning occur. Educators should demonstrate positive, caring, and supportive relationships and interactions as the foundation for their work with young children. They should utilize a variety of effective teaching approaches and skills that are responsive to the learning trajectories of young children and to the needs of each child, including intentional, responsive, anti-bias, and evidence-based teaching approaches that reflect the principles of universal design for learning. Candidates collaborate with families and professionals to use an evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive early childhood curriculum addressing developmental and content domains. Candidates plan and implement intentional, systematic, evidence-based, responsive interactions, interventions, and instruction to support all children’s learning and development across all developmental and content domains in partnership with families and other professionals. Candidates facilitate equitable access and participation for all children and families within natural and inclusive environments through culturally responsive and affirming practices and relationships.

Standard 5: Content Knowledge

This early childhood standard states that early childhood educators need to have both the content knowledge in the various disciplines (literacy, numeracy, arts, technology, arts, and physical education) and the pedagogical methods for teaching each subject. This means that early childhood educators need to understand the concepts, the methods and tools of inquiry, and the structures in each academic discipline, as well as the general knowledge of how children learn and process information. Instruction should be active, engaging, challenging, and meaningful to each child.

Standard 6: Professionalism

This standard communicates that early childhood educators need to serve as informed advocates for young children, their families, and the profession as a whole. Early childhood educators should understand professional and ethical guidelines and have professional communication skills. They are tasked with engaging in continuous education to stay up to date in methods and trends, and should reflect on their practices. It emphasizes the importance of educators conducting themselves as professionals and for the early childhood profession. Educators should adhere to ethical guidelines and work effectively with young children, families, and colleagues. They should also engage in continuous learning and advocate for the early childhood profession. Candidates identify and engage with the profession of early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) by exhibiting skills in reflective practice, advocacy, and leadership while adhering to ethical and legal guidelines.

Ethical Conduct in Early Childhood Education

A common characteristic of professions is that they have a document spelling out the moral responsibilities to society and guiding principles for professional behavior. Because a profession is viewed as a group that can uniquely fulfill an important social need, and because the service is often provided to a vulnerable population, there must be a clear statement about how ethical behavior is defined. Although early childhood education is still striving to be viewed as a profession, it has had a code of ethics since 1989 and began developing a code at least 10 years before that (Feeney & Freeman, 2018). The Code of Ethical Conduct (NAEYC, 2011a) focuses on early childhood educators working directly with children and families. Supplements have also been written to apply the code to the work of Early Childhood Program Administrators (2011b) and Adult Educators (2004).

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct

The NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct (2011a) is a vital resource for early childhood educators. It serves as a guide for making informed decisions on issues facing the field and promotes dialogue using a common language. The code focuses on educators working directly with children and families and has supplements for program administrators and adult educators.

Conceptual Framework

The framework is an organizing structure for the code. It is divided into four sections that address professional relationships: with children, with families, among colleagues, and with the community and society. Each section includes an introduction to the primary responsibilities of the professional in that setting. Ethical ideals are aspirational. They represent what we strive for as we work with children and families; they are our goals. Ethical principles are more concrete-they could be considered the objectives that allow us to achieve our goals or aspirations (ideals). The principles guide conduct and help professionals resolve ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas are “moral conflicts that involve determining how to act when an individual faces conflicting professional values and responsibilities” (Feeney & Freeman, 2018, p.

Ethical Responsibilities to Children

This first section focuses on the profession’s beliefs about the unique and valuable nature of childhood and the vulnerability of this stage of development. Consequently, early childhood educators are responsible for ensuring children’s safety, health, and emotional well-being. The first section contains 12 ethical ideals and 11 ethical principles. (Note there is no one-to-one correspondence of ideals to principles). “Above all, we shall not harm children. We shall not participate in practices that are emotionally damaging, physically harmful, disrespectful, degrading, dangerous, exploitive, or intimidating to children” (p.

Ethical Responsibilities to Families

The second section addresses the responsibility to the families served by early childhood educators Given the belief that the family is of primary importance and that the family and the teacher have a common interest in the child’s well-being, educators are responsible for communicating, cooperating, and collaborating with the child’s family.

Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues

The third section of the code addresses responsibilities to colleagues. This section is divided into two subsections: responsibilities to coworkers and responsibilities to employers. The responsibility to colleagues is to establish and maintain relationships that support productive work and professional needs. The focus here is on trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and respect for the dignity of each human. It also includes holding coworkers and employers accountable for their professional ethical conduct.

Ethical Responsibility to Community and Society

The final section of the code recognizes the responsibility of the educator to provide programs that meet the diverse needs of families, that assist families in getting access to needed services, and that work together with other agencies and professionals, and to help with developing programs d that are needed but not available.

Navigating Ethical Dilemmas

The Code of Ethical Conduct (NAEYC, 2011a) provides a tool for various ways to ensure ethical conduct and to resolve ethical dilemmas that arise due to the complexity of early childhood education. While the code of ethics is a guide, it is not a recipe for specific behaviors to be enacted in any particular situation. However, the Code of Ethical Conduct (2011a) does identify several specific responsibilities. These ethical responsibilities are either things we should not do or things that we are required to do. Feeney and Freeman (2018) call these “mandates” (p. 17) and explain how these mandated behaviors are spelled out in Principles of the Code.

Examples of Principles

Examples of principles that illustrate what educators must do include the following (pp. Principle 1.1: We shall not harm children. These ethical responsibilities are clear-cut. They communicate what must and must not be done. One way the code serves early childhood educators is to provide clear-cut guidelines for behavior.

Addressing Ethical Dilemmas

In an ethical dilemma, a clear-cut ethical responsibility is not evident. Instead, the professional is faced with two equally justifiable actions, which often include a conflict between the interests of the two parties. For example, it may require placing the child’s needs above that of the parents or a group over an individual. The code can help determine the best course of action in a situation.

A Process for Applying the Code

The authors of the Code of Ethical Conduct suggest a process for applying the code to ethical issues and dilemmas (Feeney & Freeman, 2018):

Determine if the issue/problem involves ethics: Does it involve concerns about right and wrong, rights and responsibilities, human welfare, or an individual’s best interests?
Determine if the issue involves legal responsibility: If so, follow the law.
Determine if the issue involves an ethical responsibility: Recall that ethical responsibilities are clear-cut expectations about how a professional early childhood educator behaves.
Determine if the issue is a true ethical dilemma requiring hard choices between conflicting moral obligations: Consider the needs of all involved and the professional obligations to each. Are there conflicting obligations requiring one be prioritized over another? Are core values in conflict?
Identify the conflicting responsibilities: Consider the people involved and determine their needs and your obligations to them. Then turn to the Code for guidance. Review the Core Values and Ideals in the related section of the Code.
Gather more information if necessary for the full picture.
Brainstorm possible resolutions: Now that the issue is fully understood, and the conflicting values, needs, and obligations identified, think about how to solve the problem. Do not yet reject any ideas but generate as many ideas as possible.
Consider ethical finesse: In some situations, it may be possible to solve the problem without choosing between two options. This approach is called ethical finesse and is characterized by the ability to amicably resolve the situation, delicately maneuvering without anyone feeling like they did not have their needs addressed.
Look for guidance in the NAEYC Code: If ethical finesse does not result in a satisfactory resolution, use the Code to determine the action you can defend morally. Then, prepare to act. Look to the core values for guidance. Then review the Ideals and Principles to clarify your responsibilities. Make sure you feel you have all the necessary information.
Decide on a justifiable course of action: The next step is to make the choice between the alternatives, basing the decision on the ethics presented in the Code.
Implement your resolution and reflect: After making the decision and putting it into play, reflect on the process to determine what you learned.

The Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession

The Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Education Profession, developed through the Power to the Profession Initiative, aims to establish unity and clarity around career pathways, knowledge and competencies, qualifications, standards, accountability, supports, and compensation within the ECE field.

Key Components of the Unifying Framework

Defining the ECE Profession: The Framework defines the ECE profession within the broader ECE field, outlining its professional body of knowledge and skills as its central system component.
Creating a Unified Workforce: The Framework lays out a pathway to create one birth through age 8 ECE workforce that is fairly and equitably compensated.
Implementation Commitments: The Framework makes a series of implementation commitments to the field, honoring the existing workforce while working toward creating a future ECE profession that is well-prepared, diverse, effective, and well-compensated.

Implementing the Unifying Framework

Implementing the Unifying Framework requires work at the program/institution- and state/systems-levels to align to the recommendations. It requires right-sizing roles, ensuring the ECE profession is in the driver’s seat, not the state or federal government. As such, the Unifying Framework calls for the establishment of a permanent governing body, comprised of the stakeholders in the ECE profession, to oversee the implementation of the Unifying Framework and serve as a unified voice for the profession.

State-Level Regulations and Standards

In addition to national standards, each state has its own administrative agency that oversees childcare. In Washington State, it is the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). These agencies write administrative codes or regulations that specify what is allowed in the operation of a licensed childcare program.

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)

One chapter of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) addresses the requirements for the operation of licensed childcare programs (Wash. Admin. Code § 110-300, 2018). These regulations reflect foundational (or base) quality and guide childcare practice according to the State of Washington.

Professional Development, Training, and Requirements

The section on Professional Development, Training, and Requirements within the WAC is of special note. The ECE certificates referenced here are part of the Washington State stackable certificates, offered by many community and technical colleges in Washington. These certificates provide a cumulative pathway with courses building on one another, meant to provide a manageable set of steps in moving to the goal of a degree, initially at the associate level, and eventually at the bachelor’s level.

Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals

In 2009, the former Department of Early Learning at the direction of the Washington State legislature published the Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals. These competencies provide a framework of knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality care for children. The competencies are meant to provide a framework of knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality care for children. Child Growth and Development (Washington State DCYF, 2009) contains statements that present a skill or knowledge. The statements are organized by levels. The levels as shown in Table 11.4 represent a continuum of skill/knowledge from entry level to advanced preparation. Each of the eight content areas has between 2 and 17 skill/knowledge statements representing an individual competency.

Practical Application of Standards

When you become a professional early child educator, you will become familiar with these standards. Ultimately, what these standards mean for early childhood educators is that you will develop your curriculum, set up your learning space, plan your teaching practices, communicate with children, families, and peers, and monitor and reflect with these standards serving as the foundation on which every decision should be made. Early childhood educators should recognize the importance of their work and always strive to hold themselves accountable for giving young children the best possible educational beginning.

Integrating Standards into Daily Practice

When you become an early childhood educator, whether you are working in a preschool, in a childcare setting, or in another role, you will look to the professional standards to drive your decision making. Setting up a classroom, building a curriculum, developing teaching methods, and working with parents can all present challenges, and knowing the foundation from which to draw from can make these tasks far less overwhelming. Every student population is different and every early childhood educator will have their own methods, but when relying on the standards, it is far less likely that any child will slip through the cracks.

Resources for Early Childhood Educators

To help professionals easily find, understand, and act on their state's professional development requirements. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, trainer, or advocate, staying compliant with your state's professional development standards is essential-but navigating those requirements can be overwhelming. That's why we created this centralized hub. Core Knowledge and Competencies for the Early Care and Education Workforce cover 8-10 key domains.

NAEYC Resources

New NAEYC Resource! The Professional Standards and Competencies Online Resource Library is a searchable database that curates a variety of free, accessible, quality resources (e.g., articles, videos, blog posts, books, book chapters, modules) that are related to and align with the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.

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