The NAEYC Standards for Initial and Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs describe what early childhood professionals are expected to know and do, defining essential learning outcomes for professional preparation programs and presenting a shared vision of excellence. The Commission on the Accreditation of Early Childhood Higher Education Programs uses these standards as the basis for the accreditation of associate, baccalaureate and initial-license master’s degree programs. The standards are also used as the basis for recognition of baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral early childhood degree programs as part of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation’s (CAEP) accreditation of schools, colleges, and departments of education (“Educator Preparation Providers” or EPPs).