The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) student chapter at Illinois State University was established over 20 years ago as a collaborative effort with Heartland Community College. The primary objective is to provide professional development opportunities, fostering an environment where students can learn and grow.
“The value of this student chapter mainly is to support each other while they are learning to become future teachers. We want them to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ethics to become great teachers,” said Dr. Miranda Lin, the organization’s advisor.
NAEYC’s mission is to facilitate professional development while creating a social network for students. The chapter hosts monthly meetings, inviting guest speakers and experts to teach the students the skills to excel in the teaching profession including interviewing, assistive technologies, and classroom management.
“Being a member of the NAEYC taught me how best to support children and help every student reach their full potential,” said Stephanie Greco.
Greco served as a secretary and later became the president of NAEYC between 2014 and 2018 while attending Illinois State. Greco majored in early childhood education. Currently, she teaches a combination of general and special education students at Fulton Elementary.
When asked how NAEYC impacted her current position as a teacher, Greco said, “Being involved in this organization has helped me grow as an educator by providing me strategies to develop appropriate materials to meet my students’ needs.” Greco added that the NAEYC influences discussions on diversity and cultural groups through the organization’s educational books, thus promoting diversity and inclusion in early childhood education.
Greco encourages students to join NAEYC because the organization improves students’ knowledge of young children, which she is an example of, given that she now teaches Pre-K. She advised members, “Ask questions. There is no such thing as a dumb question.”
“I always tell people that they should join NAEYC if they want to build an active community of like-minded people who value education inside and outside of the classroom and strive to glean all they can about the profession,” said Katie Fuchs.
Fuchs is a senior at ISU majoring in secondary English education with plans to teach English at a high school. When asked why she joined NAEYC, Fuchs said, “I was attracted to be a part of NAEYC during Festival ISU in 2021. I went to the NAEYC table during the event, and they told me that the organization was focused on education and exciting activities. So, I joined because the mission of NAEYC piqued my interest.” She continued, “The organization has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and provided me with pre-professional development opportunities in education.” Fuchs has been a member of NAEYC since her freshman year.
While Fuchs spoke about why she joined NAEYC, she highlighted the activity she found the most valuable. “During the principal and student panels, guest speakers discuss culturally responsive holidays and accommodations/modifications within a classroom/lesson plan,” said Fuchs. The guest speakers share ways to acknowledge various cultural holidays inclusively and how teachers can support diverse learning needs, such as those of students with special needs.
Reach out to Kati Fuchs, NAEYC’S co-president by emailing kfuchs1@IllinoisState.edu to join the National Association for the Education of Young Children and learn more about the organization, including meetings, events, and relevant resources through their Instagram at ilstu_ilnaeyc.
