Alabama AYC is the state affiliate of the National Association for the Education for Young Children (NAEYC).
Members in Alabama AYC belong to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, you also have membership in the state AEYC and the Southern Early Childhood Association. Upon registering for membership, you may also have been given the opportunity to join your local affiliate (all for the same registration fee).
Why join a professional membership organization?
As a professional working in your career field, it is important to keep up with current trends. One of the ways to do so is to become a member of your field’s professional organization. Membership dues allow the organization to continue research, policymaking, and professional development opportunities to help you stay abreast of current issues and trends. The field of early childhood is ever changing; with new research on brain development, the pros and cons of standardized testing, wage and benefit concerns, professionalism for the field, and other related topics, your membership in NAEYC brings you up-to-date information on these and other issues within the early childhood field. One of the major benefits of joining is a subscription to Young Children, the trade journal of NAEYC. Packed with current information related to your work with young children, early childhood experts share research, tips and ideas, and stories from the early childhood field. Each issue focuses on several different themes such as the importance of play in ECE, building relationships with families, the importance of outdoor environments to name a few.
NAEYC currently boasts a membership of over 80,000 world-wide. As a collective voice, changes can be recommended to those making policy and budget decisions on behalf of children and families. Advocacy is an important piece of belonging to your professional organization.
As a member of NAEYC, you also have an opportunity to become a leader within your community by serving on your local and/or state AEYC board. New leaders are continually being sought; contact your local affiliate for more information.
If you have questions or are not sure whether you are a member of your llocal affiliate, you can log onto the NAEYC website and check your membership status under the “member only” link. You also have the option to join more than one local affiliate, which many members do--especially if they live and work in different areas.
What do I get by becoming a member?
Currently there are three levels of membership in NAEYC. Cost depends upon the affiliate you are joining, however benefits are the same:
Comprehensive
- 6 issues of Young Children journal
- 5-6 NAEYC publications (books on curriculum planning & implementation, cooking with children, assessments, power of play, etc.)
- PLUS benefits included in Regular & Student rate
Regular and Student categories
- 6 issues of Young Children journal
- Voting rights in NAEYC elections
- Reduced registration fees at NAEYC conferences
- Reduced subscription fees for Early Childhood Research Quarterly
- Reduced prices on NAEYC publications
- Opportunities to participate in various insurance plans, an Association-sponsored credit card service
Additional benefits for all members include possible grants, scholarships to events, networking with others working the early childhood field, as well as opportunities for leadership and growth, and lending your voice on behalf of children and their families.
Contact Us
P.O. Box 1169 Decatur, AL 35602 Phone: 256-507-2485
Fax: 256-260-3168 Email: melissa.werner@athens.edu