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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
Check out the resource library tutorial here!
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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.
Check out the resource library tutorial for more info.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Sort quickly through the hundreds of available resources by using the filter tool on the left to populate the specific resources you need!
Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Educators Position Statement (full document & related resources)
Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Educators | NAEYC
Along with core knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions, early childhood educators who work in homes, centers, and schools have professional, ethical responsibilities. The “Code of Ethics for Early Childhood Educators” outlines the essential ethical responsibilities for the early childhood education profession. It speaks to a set of professional ethics—the moral responsibilities that go beyond personal beliefs—that guide ECE workplace decision making and behavior. This link access the full position statement along with other related code of ethics resources and supplements. (Available in English, Spanish, and Chinese)
Organization/Author: NAEYC
Type of Resource: Position Statement
Publication Date: 2025
Everyone Needs Attention
https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/everyone-needs-attention
This article reframes "attention-seeking" behavior as a fundamental human need for relationship and secure attachment. It urges educators to replace punitive responses with compassionate connection, recognizing that children's emotional health and self-regulation flourish through validation rather than isolation.
Organization/Author: Tamar Jacobson, Community Playthings
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: June 2023
Closing the Opportunity Gap for Young Children
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26743/closing-the-opportunity-gap-for-young-children
Many young children in the United States are thriving and have access to the conditions and resources they need to grow up healthy. However, a substantial number of young children face more challenging conditions such as: poverty; food insecurity; exposure to violence; and inadequate access to health care, well-funded quality schools, and mental health care. In many cases, the historical origins of unequal access to crucial supports for children's physical, emotional, and cognitive development are rooted in policies that intentionally segregated and limited various populations' access to resources and create opportunity gaps that intertwine and compound to affect academic, health, and economic outcomes over an individual's life course and across generations.
Organization/Author: LaRue Allen and Rebekah Hutton, Editors; Various Contributors; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Type of Resource: Book
Publication Date: 2023
Innovations in Higher Education. Decolonization Is Not a Buzz Word: (Re)Envisioning Early Childhood Teacher Education Through Curriculum Design
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/summer2024/decolonization-in-ece
In this article, the author explores the redesign of Erikson Institute’s teacher licensure program to challenge white-dominant narratives and address systemic inequities in early childhood education. It details how decolonizing pedagogies, such as land education and reflective identity assignments, are used to prepare educators to foster inclusive, just learning environments.
Organization/Author: Meghan L. Green, Young Children, NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: Summer 2024
Topic of issue of YC: Self-Regulation and Executive Function: Responsive and Informed Practices for Early Childhood
Rocking and Rolling. Sharing Our Calm: The Role of Coregulation in the Infant-Toddler Classroom
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/summer2024/rocking-and-rolling
This article explores coregulation, the essential process where adults "share their calm" to help infants and toddlers manage emotions they cannot yet regulate themselves. It suggests that educators must first maintain their own well-being through mindfulness to provide the sensitive, predictable responses that form the foundation for a child's future self-regulation and social success.
Organization/Author: Rebecca Parlakian, Young Children, NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: Summer 2024
Topic of issue of YC: Self-Regulation and Executive Function: Responsive and Informed Practices for Early Childhood
Our Proud Heritage. Drawing on Women’s Expertise: Establishing the Bureau of Educational Experiments
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/fall2024/our-proud-heritage
This article explores the history of the Bureau of Educational Experiments (now Bank Street College), highlighting how a dedicated network of women transformed early childhood education through social reform and scientific observation. It suggests that by studying children’s play and interests—an approach called "learning from children"—educators can develop a curriculum that values student agency and connects learning to the "here and now." This legacy emphasizes the importance of professional collaboration and using a child’s own ideas to build a more equitable and engaging school experience.
Organization/Author: Jeroen Staring, Young Children, NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: Fall 2024
Topic of issue of YC: Informed and Guided by Context: Strengths-Based Teaching and Learning
Innovations in Higher Education. Including Black Language in Early Childhood Education: Addressing Linguistic Diversity in Teacher Preparation
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/winter2024/including-black-language-ece
This article explores how teacher preparation programs can challenge "anti-Black linguistic racism" by teaching educators to value Black Language as a sophisticated, rule-governed system rather than "broken English." It suggests that by examining personal biases and learning the historical roots of the language, teachers can transition from correcting children to affirming their bilingual identity. This shift is presented as a critical step in creating equitable classrooms where African American children can express themselves authentically without fear of judgment or unfair discipline.
Organization/Author: Taajah Witherspoon and Teaira McMurtry, Young Children, NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: Winter 2024
Topic of issue of YC: Creating and Supporting High-Quality Early Learning Programs
The Power of Child-Created Texts and Puppetry: Nurturing Preschoolers’ Social and Emotional Development (Voices)
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/winter2024/child-created-texts-and-puppetry
This teacher research article explores how using puppet-making and child-led storytelling helped two multilingual preschoolers build social skills and confidence. It suggests that these creative tools allow children to express themselves beyond language barriers, fostering a sense of belonging and community. By researching their own practice, the educators demonstrate how honoring a child's unique cultural identity can transform their social and emotional development.
Organization/Author: Kiyomi Umezawa and Emiko Kurosawa Arakaki, Young Children, NAEYC
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: Winter 2024
Topic of issue of YC: Creating and Supporting High-Quality Early Learning Programs
Let’s Dig Deep: Culturally Responsive (4 part video series)
Let’s Dig Deep: Culturally Responsive (4 part video series)
This video collection includes four videos (under 5 minutes, each) created by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. All videos explore culturally responsive practices.
Organization/Author: Devereux Center for Resilient Children
Type of Resource: Videos
Publication Date: 2023
Building Bipartisan Support for Child Care Toolkit: 2023 Update
Building Bipartisan Support for Child Care Toolkit: 2023 Update | Bipartisan Policy Center
A toolkit designed to help all, despite political leanings, understand the child care landscape, establish new relationships, and build bipartisan solutions for the profession.
Organization/Author: Bipartisan Policy Center
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: 2023
Careers in Early Care & Education: A National Directory
Careers in Early Care & Education: A National Directory
A directory that includes wide-ranging descriptions of the many career options that exist in early care and education as well as recommended education for obtaining those careers and personal profiles.
Organization/Author: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® (T.E.A.C.H.) National Center
Type of Resource: Website Online Guide
Publication Date: 2022
Caring for the Caregiver Module
Caring for the Caregiver Module
A module all about self-care for the educator.
Organization/Author: Teaching Strategies
Type of Resource: Module
Publication Date: Unknown
Self-Care for Teachers
When children engage in behavior that pushes your buttons, it is important to be intentional in how you respond. This resource provides strategies that you might use when a child’s behavior pushes your buttons to help you respond in a way that is supportive of the child.
Organization/Author: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: Unknown
Self-Care for Early Care and Education Professionals
Self-Care for Early Care and Education Professionals
Tip sheet with practical self-care strategies for early care and education professionals.
Organization/Author: Center for Inclusive Child Care
Type of Resource: Toolkit
Publication Date: Unknown
Sesame Street Workshop: Self-care
Sesame Street Workshop: Self-care
This Sesame Street workshop includes videos and resources about self-care for caregivers.
Organization/Author: Sesame Workshop
Type of Resource: Module
Publication Date: Unknown
Self-Care & Wellness for Caregivers
Self-Care & Wellness for Caregivers
This module focuses on self-care and wellness for caregivers.
Organization/Author: Virtual Lab School
Type of Resource: Module
Publication Date: Unknown
The Importance of Self-Care for Early Care and Education Professionals
The Importance of Self-Care for Early Care and Education Professionals
A video with discussion questions to help guide educators to identify self-care strategies and make action plans to stay physically and mentally healthy.
Organization/Author: Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut University
Type of Resource: Video with discussion guide
Publication Date: Unknown
Carving Out Time for Wonder: Reflective Practices in Early Childhood Pedagogy
Carving Out Time for Wonder: Reflective Practices in Early Childhood Pedagogy
An article that addresses the importance of a wondering disposition in reflective practice.
Organization/Author: Ron Grady, Community Playthings
Type of Resource: Article
Publication Date: 2022
How to Improve Teaching and Learning Through Reflective Practice
How to Improve Teaching and Learning Through Reflective Practice
With reflective practice, educators can learn from their past teaching experiences. In this blog post, discover the benefits of reflective practice and how it can vastly improve your creativity, lessons, and child-teacher relationships.
Organization/Author: Brightwheel
Type of Resource: Blog
Publication Date: 2024
Reflective Practice in Early Years Education
Reflective Practice in Early Years Education
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission.
This OER textbook will provide a context that will allow the reader to consider their obligation to reflect from their own perspective and will explore how to create a practice that best suits their professional setting. This book will bring together in one place the history, the values, the skills and disposition required to be a reflective practitioner. It is a textbook with elements of a workbook, embedded are opportunities to watch, to think, to write, and to listen allowing the reader to become a purposeful and intentional reflective practitioner.
Organization/Author: Sheryl Third
Type of Resource: Book Chapter, Open Educational Resource (OER)
Publication Date: 2022
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