Bachelor of Science in Education - Early Childhood Education

Program Description

The early childhood education program prepares students to successfully complete the licensure requirements of the program and earn their teaching license with an endorsement in early childhood education. This license enables students to teach children from birth through the third grade in multiple settings including public and non-public schools, homes, and other community settings.

This program offers a strengths-based approach in working with all children including those with special needs and rights. Along with coursework that is focused on child-centered and culturally sensitive practices, students participate in embedded field experiences in the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center and Horace Mann Laboratory School and partnering community settings. Combined, these learning experiences provide the basis from which theories about development, learning, and curriculum come to life for our students. 

Individually and as a cohort of learners, students learn an integrated approach to teaching and learning through constructivist curriculum practices and strategies that offer meaningful learning within diverse systems and settings. Opportunities to learn together as critical colleagues who further each other’s reflective thinking skills prepares students for professional collaboration in their future careers.

Across the country, the importance of early childhood education continues to grow as studies indicate the long-term benefits of educational opportunities in the early years have on shaping future learning outcomes. Faculty focus on preparing childhood teachers, decision-makers, and intellectual and ethical leaders to create opportunities for learning that ensures the well-being of children and families in their communities and beyond.