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Professional Standards & Competencies Resource Library

The Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators outline the essential knowledge, skills, and practices that are foundational to high-quality early childhood education. These standards define what early childhood educators should know and be able to do in order to support the learning and development of young children from birth through age 8. They serve as a guiding framework for professional development, practice, and evaluation within the field of early childhood education.

Understanding and implementing these standards is crucial for educators as they help ensure the delivery of equitable, inclusive, and high-quality education that promotes the well-being and success of all children. By adhering to these standards, educators also contribute to the profession's commitment to continuous improvement and accountability.

Please note that while the collection of resources has been organized and tagged according to the Professional Standards and Competencies, only the most applicable competencies have been prioritized for searching and tagging purposes.

For NAEYC resources in the library, you can find policies related to reproducing, distributing, or otherwise using content here. For all other resources, please follow appropriate practices for using/citing sources.

Directions for Using the Professional Standards and Competencies Resource Library

The PS&Cs Resource Library allows you to peruse ALL of the many resources available (by default) or you can utilize the provided filter and narrow down your search to target specific resources.
By using the filtering categories, you are able to narrow your search to particular professional standards, one or more of the 22 key competencies, various ECE topics, a variety of age ranges, specific types of resources such as articles or videos or even find resources available in languages other than English.
The robust filters even allow you to choose multiple choices across categories or within the same category to further narrow your search!
Once you have opened the various filter categories provided in the filter tool, you will notice that “all” is highlighted and checked in each category by default. This means the filter tool will not filter out any of those options within that category. If you wish to narrow your search, you simply click on one or more of the other options within the various filtering categories. Clicking will check that option. Checked options will be utilized for your search!
To remove an option, simply click it again to remove the check from the checkbox.
The search feature is similar to any other search engine on a website. It can be used for a specific key word or phrase. Although the search may be helpful and is provided, the more robust filter tool may ultimately be more helpful in focusing and narrowing your search for resources.
Naturally, broken links will occur. Sometimes the resource has been moved to a new web address and other times it has been temporarily or permanently removed. We welcome you to report any broken links you find here. We will do our best to replace the link when possible or remove the resource if it is no longer available.
**As of Feb. 2025, certain webpages and resources, particularly from agencies/organizations/projects that receive federal funds, have been at least temporarily removed in order to comply with federal mandates related to the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders. We will continue to monitor these resource links and update them if and when new links are available.

Start Your Search--Resource Library

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Start Your Search--Resource Library *

Sort quickly through the hundreds of available resources by using the filter tool on the left to populate the specific resources you need!

Kadisha Conteh 3/6/25 Kadisha Conteh 3/6/25

The New Ecology of Early Childhood: Revisiting Bronfenbrenner’s Theory in the Context of Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities

The New Ecology of Early Childhood: Revisiting Bronfenbrenner’s Theory in the Context of Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities
This working paper from the Stanford Center on Early Childhood revisits Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory in light of present day conditions and challenges.

Organization/Author: Philip A. Fisher, PhD & Joan Lombardi, PhD, Stanford Center on Early Childhood, Stanford University

Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2025

Kadisha Conteh 3/2/25 Kadisha Conteh 3/2/25

Building Executive Function Skills Through Games: The Power of Playful Learning

Building Executive Function Skills Through Games: The Power of Playful Learning
This article discusses the importance of executive function to children’s learning and development, exploring the connection between EF and playful learning through games.

Organization/Author: Cynthia A. Wiltshire and Molly Scott, Young Children, NAEYC

Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2024

Kadisha Conteh 3/2/25 Kadisha Conteh 3/2/25

10 Effective DAP Teaching Strategies

10 Effective DAP Teaching Strategies
An infographic from NAEYC that gives ten effective strategies to individualize instruction.

Organization/Author: NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: Unknown

Kadisha Conteh 3/2/25 Kadisha Conteh 3/2/25

Differentiation in Preschool

Differentiation in Preschool
This brief article explores differentiation in the preschool classroom.

Organization/Author: Cecilia Cabrera Martirena, Edutopia
Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2021

Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25 Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25

Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education

This article explores four ways to validate and affirm young students’ cultures in meaningful ways, which can boost their engagement and motivation.

Organization/Author: Amanda Armstrong, Edutopia
Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2020

Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25 Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25

Rocking and Rolling. Promoting Inclusion in Infant and Toddler Settings

Rocking and Rolling, edited by Rebecca Parlakian and her colleagues from ZERO to THREE, focuses on supporting infants, toddlers, and their families. Each column offers instructional insights and suggestions that are grounded in research yet presented through real-life examples.

Organization/Author: Rebecca Parlakian, Young Children, NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2021

Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25 Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25

Fostering Engagement Within Inclusive Settings: The Role of the Physical-Social-Temporal Environment in Early Childhood Settings

This article introduces three young children and their early learning environments, including their common routines and learning experiences. After introducing each child and learning situation, the authors identify research-supported modifications to the physical-social-temporal environment that their teachers used to build on a child’s interests, experiences, and strengths to support growth in particular areas. These modifications illuminate how early childhood educators in any setting can encourage more active child engagement and more inclusive contexts for learning.

Organization/Author: Alissa Rausch et. al, Young Children, NAEYC

Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2021

Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25 Kadisha Conteh 2/12/25

The Power of Playful Learning in the Early Childhood Setting

This article is an excerpt from chapter 5 in Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8, Fourth Edition (NAEYC 2022). It explores the idea of playful learning.

Organization/Author: Jennfier M. Zosh et. al, Young Children, NAEYC

Type of Resource: Article

Publication Date: 2022