What is early childhood education?

Early childhood education is a broad term used to describe any type of educational program that serves children in their preschool years, before they are old enough to enter kindergarten. Early childhood education may consist of any number of activities and experiences designed to aid in the cognitive and social development of preschoolers before they enter elementary school. read more

Early childhood education is not mandated by the United States Department of Education. Elementary and secondary education is all that is legally required for students, though early childhood education is doubtlessly an important and fundamental stage of learning. read more

National Center on High Quality Personnel in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings is designed to help increase the number of high quality early childhood personnel in inclusive early care and education settings through the development of cross-agency networks and state plans. read more