NMCC Early Childhood Education program earns national accreditation

Northern Maine Community College’s Early Childhood Education associate degree program has earned national accreditation, placing it among 185 higher education programs across 36 states currently accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

NMCC was one of six institutions nationwide to receive first-time accreditation during the NAEYC Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs’ summer 2026 review. The accreditation recognizes the quality of the program in preparing early childhood educators to serve children, families and communities throughout northern Maine.

The designation provides an external measure that NMCC’s program meets national standards for preparing early childhood educators. For current and prospective students, the accreditation means the program is aligned with nationally recognized professional standards and competencies as they prepare to enter the workforce or continue their education.

Early Childhood Education faculty member Danielle Rae Clark and Arts and Sciences faculty member Jen Graham were integral to NMCC’s accreditation effort, working together throughout the process to demonstrate the program’s alignment with NAEYC standards.

“Becoming an NAEYC-accredited Early Childhood Higher Education program strengthens our program and helps ensure that we are preparing quality early educators for the field, whether they are going directly into the workforce or continuing their education,” Clark said.

“It is crucial that the students who go through our program are quality early educators, both to serve the great need in our surrounding communities and to help professionalize the Early Childhood Education field,” Clark said. “By teaching the NAEYC Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators and assessing students based on those standards and competencies, we can ensure each student who moves through our program is a prepared, skilled professional in the field.”

The accreditation comes as NMCC prepares for another significant development in its Early Childhood Education program. This fall, the Early Childhood Education program will move to the lower level of the college’s new Timothy D. Crowley Building. The program’s dedicated space includes a new classroom, workroom, conference room and faculty office.

The child care center is located on the building’s ground level, with dedicated observation rooms where Early Childhood Education students can gain valuable insight into early learning environments. This arrangement brings the academic program and child care center together under one roof while maintaining distinct spaces for each.

The accreditation was awarded following a comprehensive review that included NMCC’s self-study report, a peer review report and the college’s written response. Accreditation is granted for a seven-year term.

To achieve and maintain accreditation, an early childhood education program must demonstrate that its graduates are proficient in the core competencies of the profession. Programs must also show that they use student performance data to inform teaching and learning, provide varied opportunities for students to learn and practice professional competencies, and design their programs to meet the needs of the students and communities they serve.

NMCC’s accreditation coincides with the 20th anniversary of NAEYC’s higher education accreditation system, which recognizes early childhood education degree programs that meet national standards of quality for preparing educators.

NMCC’s Early Childhood Education program leads to an associate in applied science degree and prepares students for careers working with young children and families, as well as opportunities to continue their education at a four-year institution.

For more information about NAEYC’s summer 2026 higher education accreditation decisions, visit:
www.naeyc.org/about-us/news/press-releases/higher-ed-summer-2026-press-release

Interested in learning more about the Early Childhood Education program at NMCC?  Visit: www.nmcc.edu/early-childhood-education