Intended for use with "Accreditation Criteria and Procedures of the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs," this guidebook is designed to help early childhood educators in their progress through the process of program accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. Provided are (1) instructions and materials for conducting an in-depth self-study of an early childhood program, including sample copies of the Early Childhood Classroom Observation, Administrator Report, Staff Questionnaire, and Parent Questionnaire that are used during the self-study and in reporting findings; (2) a copy of the Program Description that is used by programs to report their compliance with criteria to the Academy; and (3) a description of the validation process and the accreditation decision. Section 1 provides an introduction to the guide. Section 2 offers directions for conducting a self-study. Section 3 focuses on the use of the classroom observation form. Section 4 guides the completion of the administrator report and center profile. Sections 5 and 6, respectively, give directions for using the staff and parent questionnaires. Sections 7, 8, and 9 concern the preparation of the program description, preparation for the validation visit, and aspects of the accreditation decision. Related reference materials are cited in the bibliography comprising Section 10. (RH)