ACEI Membership

ACEI membership is open to any individual concerned for the education and well being of children. Members join either through a Local Branch or directly through Headquarters. Membership dues are determined by the ACEI Executive Board as provided in the ACEI Constitution, Standing Rule 4. Dues for State and Province Associations are established by the Constitution, Article III, Section 2 (c).

Branch Membership. A Branch member is one who is a member of a state/province, local, or student group affiliated with ACEI. The portion of member dues determined by the Executive Board are rebated to the local branch three times per year. The branch member is affiliated with both the International organization and the local branch. All dues are paid directly to headquarters. Local Branch dues are set by the ACEI Executive Board and rebated by Headquarters to the branches meeting compliance regulations three times each year, January, May, and August.

Branch Members At-Large Membership. At-Large ACEI membership is extended to persons in areas where there is no Local Branch of the Association or who for personal reasons are not affiliated with a Branch.

At-Large Members Life Membership. Persons who were Life members prior to the constitutional amendment in April 1966 that eliminated this type of membership, receive the services promised to them at the time of their enrollment. Life members may elect not to receive Childhood Education in which case they are identified as Life members without service.

All Membership Dues Are Payable to ACEI Headquarters

State /Province Branches

Dues for State or Province Associations are those stated in the ACEI Constitution, Article III, Section 2 (c). (See Appendix 2)

Member Dues

Membership categories and the dues associated with them are determined by the ACEI Executive Board. Any individual can become an At-Large member of ACEI by paying the same dues as a Branch member. Individuals automatically become a member of a Branch if one exists. The dues are broken down by Headquarters for all membership categories. Out of the International dues, $2.00 goes toward State/Province dues and $2.00 toward Local dues. For example, a professional member pays $45.00, of which $2.00 goes into State/Province dues, $2.00 goes into local dues, and $41.00 goes into International dues.

The current categories of membership and their respective international dues are: All members and subscribers outside the USA are required to pay additional fees to cover additional postage for membership, JRCE and Professional Focus Newsletter subscriptions. Professional, Student and Retired members receive all membership benefits, including discounts on publications, reduced registration fees at ACEI sponsored conferences, the journal Childhood Education, and the ACEI Exchange. Retired members also receive the Retiree Review. Student members also receive a free subscription to the Student Connection. An Institutional subscription includes Childhood Education, and the ACEI Exchange. Basic membership includes all membership benefits except Childhood Education and the ACEI Exchange. They receive, instead, their choice of one Professional Focus Newsletter subscription.

Dues Billing Cycle

ACEI memberships expire one of four dates during the academic year, September 30, December 31, March 31, or June 30.

When a member joins the membership begins on the date dues are received and extends one year to the nearest expiration date to the Anniversary.

Renewal notices are sent three months prior to the expiration date to facilitate publications schedules and ensure that the number of journals/newsletters printed covers membership and subscriber needs. Members who renew within one month of their membership expiration date will not experience any lapses in service.

Membership Cards

Membership cards are mailed to new and renewing members during the first week of the month during which their dues are received. They are included in the Welcome Kit for new members and in the Renewal Kit for renewing members. The card includes the member's membership ID number, branch affiliation, status, joined date, expiration date and name as shown on the record. No membership card will be mailed to a member without payment of current dues.

Hierarchy of Branches

In order to fully understand the rationale behind the rebate distribution, it is important to understand the structure of Branches within the Association.

The Country/State/Province Branch is usually the larger Branch, both in terms of the geographical area it covers and number of members. There can be Local and/or Student Branches existing within the Country, State or Province Branch. If a member is paying International dues to Headquarters, then they are automatically a member of the Country, State or Province Branch (if one exists). An At-Large member is any member not affiliated with a Local or Student Branch.

Local and Student Branches are the smaller Branches. Local and Student Branches are treated the same in terms of rebate distribution. A Local Branch usually has Professional and Retired members, but the trend to include Student members is helping to create more diverse Branches. Headquarters encourages the involvement of all students, teachers, and retirees in making the volunteer work of Branches more rewarding.

In order to further explain the structure of the Branches, here are some examples:
Florida has not only a State Branch (Florida ACEI) but also the following Local Branches: Pinellas, Southwest Florida, Hispanic Network, University of Florida at Gainesville, University of South Florida at Ft. Myers, University of Central Florida at Orlando, Nova University and the University of South Florida at Tampa.

Rhode Island has a State Branch (Rhode Island ACEI), but no Local or Student Branches. Alabama has no State Branch, but it does have three Student Branches: Auburn University, Tex Whaley Troy State University, and Samford University. Alaska has no Branches; only At-Large members.

Rebates

When a dues payment is received at Headquarters and the member wants to be included* in a Local or Student Branch, we allocate $2 of the total amount to the Local or Student Branch, and $2 to the Country, State or Province Branch. For example, when a professional member pays $45, we would allocate $2 to the Local Branch, $2 to the State Branch and $41 to International dues.

*We also assign new members to a Local Branch if the zip code in their address falls within the range for a Branch.

ACEI distributes two types of rebates:
1. Annual Country/State/Province At-Large Dues Rebate
2. Branch Rebate (three times per year)

The Annual Country, State/Province At-Large Dues Rebate is distributed to those Country/State/Province Branches that submitted the Annual Report, the Branch Financial Report, the Branch Officers Roster, and have an updated constitution on file. The amount of the rebate is calculated at $2.00 for every At-Large (not affiliated with a Local Branch), current, professional, retired or student member in the Country/State/Province as of December 31.

The Branch Rebate is calculated and distributed three times a year to all Branches. The January rebate reflects State or Local dues collected at Headquarters between September 1 and December 31. The May rebate reflects State or Local dues collected at Headquarters between January 1 and April 30. The September rebate reflects State or Local dues collected at Headquarters between May 1 and August 31. A roster will accompany the rebate check.

If there are no Local Branches within a state, the State Branch will not receive a Branch Rebate. In this case, it will receive the At-Large Dues Rebate. Regardless of Local Branches, a Country, State or Province Branch will get $2 for each member provided they submit their reports and the application for the At-Large Dues Rebate.

Branches are held accountable for the use of these rebate funds. An explanation of how these funds are used must be submitted in the Annual Report to Headquarters that is due June 15 .
If there is no active state organization rebates will be held in escrow for future Branch development within the state.

Copyright 2002 by the Association for Childhood Education International. All rights reserved.

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