OCAEYC Mission and Vision
OCAEYC's Mission is to represent and elevate the voice of Orange County’s diverse early care and education profession; promote developmentally appropriate practice in settings serving young children ages birth through 8 years; serve as a resource for members; advocate for the importance of better pay in ensuring a skilled and stable early educator workforce; and to promote public understanding of issues affecting children and their families.
OCAEYC Vision: The early childhood profession is respected and valued for its critical role in ensuring that all young children thrive, learn, and reach their full potential.
OCAEYC Values
Early childhood is a unique and valuable stage of life.
Respect diversity, equity, and inclusion in the lives of children, families, and colleagues.
Parents and families are the child’s first teacher.
Early childhood professionals deserve worthy compensation.
All children and professionals have the right to equitable learning opportunities that help them achieve their full potential as engaged learners and valued members of society.
Relationships are based on trust and respect.
All children (and caregivers) deserve to reach their full potential – no matter their culture, color, or condition.
Early childhood education (ECE) professionals are empowered to provide, defend and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), and the rights of children.
Commitment to diversity in members, staff, board, partners, and equitable access to programs, policy formulation, and decision-making.
Professionals are effectively supported by the early learning settings in which they work, and when they and their wider communities embrace diversity and full inclusion as strengths, uphold fundamental principles of fairness and justice, and work to eliminate structural inequities that limit equitable learning opportunities.
OCAEYC Board Structure
Find out more about Board member roles and responsibilities in furthering the OCAEYC Vision, Mission, and Values.
OCAEYC Committees
OCAEYC has several committees that help guide our work. These committees are chaired by our Board Members At Large. Some board committees include: board development, fund development, community partnerships, membership services, professional development, communications, and the conference or other events.
OCAEYC 2024 Board Elections
A volunteer Board of hardworking elected officers and appointed members-at-large are beginning to identify others to join our team next year.
Elections will take place in May and new Board members will join us in June in preparation for assuming office in July, 2024.
We are also looking for people to join our many committees to support our work and potentially prepare to take on future leadership roles.
If you are interested, please submit an application and the Nominations Committee will reach out to you to discuss.
Feel free to encourage your friends and colleagues to consider completing an application as well.
We look forward to getting to know you better and working together to support our members on behalf of children and families in our community!
OCAEYC Board Meetings
OCAEYC holds General Board Meetings on a bi-monthly basis. Current members of OCAEYC receive email invitations to attend as they are open to all members of OCAEYC. If you are not a current member of OCAEYC, but are interested in attending a meeting or volunteering, please email us at [email protected].
Learn more about NAEYC
NAEYC supports the work of these remarkable individuals by serving as their voice and by passionately advocating for what we know to be right for children and for educators. NAEYC also does this by offering a robust suite of national resources, as well as local offerings from our network of Affiliates across the country. NAEYC members have access to cutting-edge content and professional development to support their career growth. Through our online communities, publications, and events, you are connected to peers and the most notable thought leaders in the early learning field.
Support Our Work!
You can donate to OCAEYC and support our work. Donations are used to provide professional training and support to early educators which includes an annual conference, workshops, and scholarships to conferences. It also allows us to expand our ability to advocate for public policy that supports the well-being and success of children