Ethical Principles

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to act on behalf of the interests of young children. The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct offers guidelines for responsible behavior and sets forth a common basis for resolving the principal ethical dilemmas encountered in early childhood care and education promoting a commitment to integrity, veracity, fairness, and human dignity at all levels; nevertheless, further research and/or developments may change the current code and state of knowledge. NAEYC have a Statement of Commitment; however, isn’t part of the organization’s Code of Ethics; instead, it is used as a tool, for personal acknowledgement of an individual's willingness to embrace the distinctive values and moral obligations of the field of early childhood care and education. The primary focus of the NAEYC Code of Ethics is to provide a basic but solid structure for daily childcare and education practices with children and their families in programs for children from birth through 8 years of age in any possible setup for example: preschool and pre-kindergarten, child care centers, hospital and family child care homes; kindergartens, and primary classrooms.
NAEYC has structure their organization on a commitment to the following core values:
• Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle
• Base our work on knowledge of how children develop and learn
• Appreciate and support the bond between the child and family
• Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture, community, and society
• Respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and colleague)
• Respect diversity in children, families, and colleagues
• Recognize that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that are based on trust and respect.
These core values represent the foundation

References: • National Association for the Education of Young Children web site: http://naeyc.org/ • A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Revised April 2005.