The Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (deaeyc, pronounced “day-see”) is an affiliate of the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the leading membership association for those working with and on behalf of children from birth to age eight. Founded in 1969, deaeyc serves and acts on behalf of the needs, right, and well-being of all young children and their families in Delaware. 

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At the heart of everything we do are the children. The experiences they have during the first eight years of life are determinants for success and development through adolescence and into adulthood. Giving children a positive and healthy start, benefits growth and development and a lifetime of practices that all stem back to early childhood. 

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Deaeyc’s work focuses on supporting the early learning experience, which includes, but is not limited to, recruiting new educators into the field, advocating for more state and federal funding for early learning facilities, providing training to educators to meet the annual licensing requirements, as well as seeking new ways to support the industry and improve early learning for the children and the workforce.