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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!

  • 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.

  • 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.

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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!

Resource Type: Position Statement, Topic: Advocacy, Topic: Assessment Partnerships, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Community Partnerships and Resources, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5, Standard 6 Kadisha Conteh Resource Type: Position Statement, Topic: Advocacy, Topic: Assessment Partnerships, Topic: Partnership-building with Families, Topic: Community Partnerships and Resources, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5, Standard 6 Kadisha Conteh

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

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Standard 1, Standard 4, Resource Type: Article, Standard 6, Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Topic: Relationships and Interactions, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines Kadisha Conteh Standard 1, Standard 4, Resource Type: Article, Standard 6, Topic: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Topic: Relationships and Interactions, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines Kadisha Conteh

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

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Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh

DEC Position Statement on Ethical Practice

DEC Position Statement on Ethical Practice

The Position Statement on Ethical Practice for the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children is a public statement of principles and practice guidelines supported by the mission of DEC.

Organization/Author: Division for Early Childhood at the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC)

Type of Resource: Position Statement

Publication Date: 2022

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Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh Standard 6, Topic: Early Intervention, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Topic: Aligned with DEC Recommended Practices, Topic: Children with Disabilities/Delays, Resource Type: Position Statement Kadisha Conteh

DEC Position Statement: The Role of Special Instruction in Early Intervention

DEC Position Statement: The Role of Special Instruction in Early Intervention

The purpose of this position statement is to clarify the role of the service,

Special Instruction, and its providers (referred to as “early intervention educators” in this paper) within the broader field of IDEA (2004) Part C early intervention (EI).

Organization/Author: Division for Early Childhood at the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC)

Type of Resource: Position Statement

Publication Date: 2024

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Standard 6, Topic: Early Childhood Policy, Topic: Advocacy, Topic: Communication Skills, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Resource Type: Multimedia Case Studies with Instructor Guides Kadisha Conteh Standard 6, Topic: Early Childhood Policy, Topic: Advocacy, Topic: Communication Skills, Topic: Ethical and Professional Guidelines, Resource Type: Multimedia Case Studies with Instructor Guides Kadisha Conteh

Early Childhood Policy Case Studies

Early Childhood Policy Case Studies

Early childhood policy case studies provide concrete examples of policy efforts, success factors, and ongoing implementation challenges in the field of early childhood. Cases can be used to enhance discussion in early childhood policy courses in higher education and to provide lessons for current policymakers in the field of early childhood. The ECP case studies explore topics including policy goals and outcomes, ECE funding, unintended consequences, implementation challenges, organizational dynamics, and tensions. These cases are based on articles and reports and interviews with diverse stakeholders including researchers, policymakers, implementers, and the beneficiaries of the policies.

Organization/Author: Early EdU Alliance

Type of Resource: Multimedia Case Studies with Instructor Guides

Publication Date: 2022

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Additional Resources

About the Resource Library &

The Professional Standards & Competencies for Early Childhood Educators

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