About Us
WHO WE ARE
The Chicago Metropolitan Association for the Education of Young Children (Chicago Metro AEYC) is the local affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the largest and most influential advocate in early care and education in the United States, with 80,000 members worldwide.
Chicago Metro AEYC is the premiere professional development resource in the Midwest dedicated to pioneering and promoting new pathways to quality care and education for children from birth through eight years old.
WHAT WE DO
Since 1926, Chicago Metro AEYC has been providing professional development to the Midwest’s early childhood professionals. We connect qualified professionals from a range of disciplines and experiences to help solve practice problems, develop leaders, and assist staff to better serve children and families.
More than 9,000 professionals take advantage of our professional development consultation services, conferences, symposia, institutes, activities, special events and online resources each year. Individuals and organizations have relied on us as their go-to resource to influence policy-makers and to build professional competence for 83 years.
WHO WE SERVE
We assist all early childhood professionals and organizations achieve a higher level of performance, helping them maximize the benefits for children in these critical first years of learning. Our programs, services, and advocacy address the needs of a broad array of professionals, from teachers and family childcare providers to administrators and social services professionals, serving all communities in the greater Chicagoland area and beyond.
Our conferences and services, geared towards early childhood professionals, are customized to meet the needs of any situation from the “traditional” environment, to those who care for children from families with special circumstances, such as limited or no English spoken in the home, live in areas of high crime and poverty, or are victims of abuse or neglect.
WHAT WE PROVIDE (Programs and Services)
Continuing Education and Instructional Support
- Head to Toe: The Midwest Interactive Infant-Toddler Conference
- Opening Minds: The Chicago Early Education, Child Care and School-Age Conference
- Great Expectations: Curriculum Connections Institute
Community Development and Public Policy
- Type 04 Certification Bilingual Basic Skills Training
- Membership-to-Leadership Program
- Community Garden Project
- Accreditation Mentoring
- CREATE Results™
- Targeted Technical Assistance
- Online Community
- Early Childhood Job Board
- Social Media
For more information on any of our programs and services, please feel free to contact us.
