By Michelle Kang, Chief Executive Officer of NAEYC
100 Years of Impact
One hundred years ago, Patty Smith Hill and her fellow pioneers in early education joined forces to support and learn from each other and to build a profession devoted to the care and education of young children. Thanks to their wisdom, expertise, and example, NAEYC continues to drive high-quality early childhood education today–championing the early childhood education workforce, advancing children’s outcomes, and engaging in this community of passionate advocates.
As NAEYC’s chief executive officer, I am humbled by the opportunity to elevate your work. In my travels, I am always inspired to meet the educators and leaders who are doing the vital work of caring for and educating young children in homes, centers, and schools. From New York City to Kansas City to rural communities, you are providing joyful experiences of play and learning. I see it in the artwork, hear it in the laughter, and feel it in the hugs that happen daily, not just when I have the chance to stop by. I am also grateful for the partnership of Affiliates as they work to elevate the expertise of educators in policy discussions.
Throughout 2026, I invite you to celebrate NAEYC’s centennial as we gather your stories through our Year of Reflections initiative, continue to influence policy and train new advocates, engage with our Affiliates and volunteers across the country, and explore the latest research and insights on our new podcast. But in this issue of Young Children (YC), we pause to look back on 100 years of impact in the field and to honor the tremendous contributions of those who have built this powerful community.
Opening the cluster is a special edition of Our Proud Heritage. Blythe F. Hinitz, Ed Greene, Barbara A. Willer, and Sue Bredekamp, all of whom have contributed to NAEYC and to the profession, came together to write “Building Professionalism, Quality, and Equity: NAEYC’s First 100 Years.” They highlight three goals that characterize each of NAEYC’s decades, and they remind us that understanding our history is critical for building our future.
“Held with and on Behalf of the Field: NAEYC Position Statements” focuses on NAEYC’s five foundational position statements. Adapted from foundational resources, this article offers an overview of the purpose of NAEYC’s position statements and describes the history and impact of each of its five core position statements.
The next two articles honor the legacies of three past presidents of NAEYC’s Governing Board. Patricia “Patsy” M. Cooper explores “Family/Community Contexts and the Problem of Half-Truths in Early Childhood Education: Learning from Barbara Bowman.” The article is excerpted from a Viewpoint first published in 2023.
“Bernard ‘Bud’ Spodek and Lilian G. Katz: From Humble Beginnings to Extraordinary Impacts” is written by Mary E. Lyons, Tanya Espinosa Cordoba, Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith, and Michaelene M. Ostrosky. In addition to recognizing Spodek’s and Katz’s contributions at different levels, the authors weave in messages each president wrote to NAEYC members and recommendations for carrying their work forward.
“100 Years of Music in NAEYC,” by Holly Carrell Moore, is the result of a question. Moore delved into the NAEYC archives to learn how early childhood educators can use music in their settings. The answer: They can integrate music with other content areas and infuse music for its own sake during routines and activities. On a personal note, this is one of my favorite activities to take part in when visiting a program and to remember about my own children’s early childhood education!
Diane Pesco and Andréanne Gagné write about another aspect of an engaging curriculum in “Still on Stage! Engaging Children in Telling and Acting Out Stories to Impact Learning.” They highlight the work of Vivian Gussin Paley and the educators and researchers who have applied storytelling and story acting in their own settings, many sharing their stories in YC.
Stacy Simonyi, Leigh-Ann Leinhauser Brown, Kaitlin Northey, and Heather Duhamel close out the cluster with an emphasis on collaboration. They examined the first 10 years of YC’s archive for insights in “Looking to the Past to Inform the Future: A Review of NAEYC’s Earliest Writings on Collaboration and Inclusion.”
However, the focus on NAEYC’s rich past and inspiring future does not end there. In this issue, YC’s regular columns are dedicated to NAEYC’s anniversary, including a special edition of
From Our President that offers Tonia R. Durden’s observations about how NAEYC has transformed over time
Member Spotlight that presents four members’ reflections about what NAEYC means to them
Voices of Practitioners that underscores the importance of teacher research and having a wide-reaching space to share their work
As immigrants to America, my parents often talked about the importance of remembering and reflecting on the past so that we can appreciate where we are going. I am so inspired by reading and hearing about past reflections and hope to read and hear more of yours in the year ahead. I hope you will enjoy reading these stories and then bring forward your own throughout this centennial year. We are building on a rich story 100 years in the making, and I invite you to contribute to it. Thank you for all you do.
—Michelle Kang, NAEYC CEO