Accreditation of early childhood programs helps teachers and administrators evaluate and improve their practice, helps parents make informed decisions, and helps children receive quality programming. This manual explains the policies and procedures for accreditation of early childhood programs through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Following a list of relevant definitions, Part 1 of the manual presents the purpose and goals of NAEYC's accreditation system, eligibility requirements, applications to multisite organizations and to agency and corporate child care systems; and describes the accreditation process of self-study, validation, and the commission decision. Part 2 presents the criteria--with interpretations--for high-quality early childhood programs, including history and development of the criteria, interrelationships among criteria, and how decisions are made. Criteria are presented in the following areas: (1) interactions among teachers and children; (2) curriculum; (3) relationships among teachers and families; (4) staff qualifications and professional development; (5) administration; (6) staffing; (7) physical environment; (8) health and safety; (9) nutrition and food service; and (10) evaluation. The manual's five appendices provide examples of developmentally appropriate practice, handwashing guidelines, nutrition requirements for infants and preschoolers, guidelines for food preparation and service, and the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. The manual concludes with information about NAEYC and the accreditation fee structure. (Contains 143 references.) (KB)