Early Childhood Education

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) is the world's most widely used index to educational-related literature. Established in 1966, ERIC is supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement and is administered by the U.S. National Library of Education (NLE). ERIC is the largest education database in the world-containing over 1.5 million records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.

Free tool to create quality rubrics.

ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (National Board) is a not-for-profit professional organization, created and governed by practicing teachers and their advocates. The founding mission of the National Board is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by: maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do: providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards; and: advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification into American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.

The Iowa Department of Education (DE) supports quality learning opportunities and environments for young children by developing, implementing, and monitoring preschool programs and services provided by, or in partnership with, school districts. High quality research-based early learning experiences are essential to build a foundation to successfully achieve the social and academic challenges of school-age programs.

NAEYC has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn accreditation, programs must meet all 10 standards.