National Early Childhood Program Accreditation

Accreditation provides recognition for those early childhood care and education programs that meet identified criteria for quality. It provides parents and the community with information about what to look for and some assurance that accredited programs can offer their children greater opportunity to grow and develop to their highest capacity. Research on early childhood programs consistently shows that high quality programs have greater benefits for children.

Approved accrediting bodies are those of the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The Council on Accreditation School Age is not currently approved by NDE, but the process for doing so in the future is being considered.

Nebraska Accreditation Project Brochure

Nebraska Criteria for National Accreditation Systems Included in the Nebraska Accreditation Project

As of September 30, 2019 NDE will no longer provide support for the accreditation project.