The Journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Volume 81 ▪ No 1 Spring 2026
NAEYC’ s Centennial Year: 100 Years of Impact
4 Introduction
6 Our Proud Heritage Building Professionalism, Quality, and Equity: NAEYC’ s First 100 Years Blythe F. Hinitz, Ed Greene, Barbara A. Willer, and Sue Bredekamp
25 Held with and on Behalf of the Field: NAEYC Position Statements
35 Barbara Taylor Bowman: Mentor Extraordinaire Carol Brunson Day
38 Family / Community Contexts and the Problem of Half-Truths in Early Childhood Education: Learning from Barbara Bowman Patricia“ Patsy” M. Cooper
47 Bernard“ Bud” Spodek and Lilian G. Katz: From Humble Beginnings to Extraordinary Impacts Mary E. Lyons, Tanya Espinosa Cordoba, Stephanie C. Sanders-Smith, and Michaelene M. Ostrosky
54 100 Years of Music in NAEYC Holly Carrell Moore
62 Still on Stage! Engaging Children in Telling and Acting Out Stories to Impact Learning Diane Pesco and Andréanne Gagné
70 Looking to the Past to Inform the Future: A Review of NAEYC’ s Earliest Writings on Collaboration and Inclusion Stacy Simonyi, Leigh-Ann Leinhauser Brown, Kaitlin Northey, and Heather Duhamel
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YC Staff
Annie Moses Editor in Chief Susan Donsky Senior Editor Charity Coleman Senior Creative Design Manager Ashley McGowan Creative Design Specialist Emily Wehby Associate Editor Codi Trump Senior Business Development Specialist Michelle Kang Chief Executive Officer Naomi Dillon Chief Communications Officer Alissa Mwenelupembe Chief Early Learning Quality and Research Officer Susan Friedman Senior Director, Publishing and Content Development Treva Bustow Senior Director, Membership Nicole Santa Director, Marketing
YC – Young Children( ISSN 1538‐6619) is published quarterly( published in the months of March, June, September, and December) by the National Association for the Education of Young Children( NAEYC), 1401 H Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005.
Through its publications program, NAEYC provides a forum for discussion of major issues and ideas in our field. We hope to provoke thought and promote professional growth. The views expressed or implied are not necessarily those of the Association. Acceptance of advertising does not represent NAEYC’ s endorsement of any product or service, nor is NAEYC responsible for representations made by advertisers.