Our program in Early Childhood Education prepares students for careers working in school settings (including as certified public school teachers) with children between birth and kindergarten or nursery and third grade. The program addresses the theories and the physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, and creative development of young children.
In our Early Childhood program, you'll receive extensive professional preparation including site-based observations, real-world fieldwork experiences, and two student teaching semesters in area schools. A key focus of our Early Childhood program is the integration of services for children, including the needs of the family and collaboration with other professions.
Program highlights:
- Learning focuses on the complete early childhood span from infants through age 8.
- The program integrates understanding of typical and atypical child development to prepare students to teach children across the learning spectrum.
- Cross-disciplinary coursework includes early childhood development, psychology, sociology, and teacher preparation.
- Our small class sizes allow students to receive plenty of individual mentoring from our experienced faculty.
Students have placements with children in pre-k or kindergarten and then, depending upon areas of interest, complete another placement in either birth to pre-k or grades 1, 2, and 3.
Accelerated 4+1 Program
Fast-track your education by earning a bachelor's and master's degree in only five years in our 4+1 option. You can earn a BS in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Education (MEd) in Special Education Cross-Endorsement in one program. The entire curriculum can be completed in five years, including summer classes after your senior year.
Connecticut and many other states require teachers to complete a master's degree in order to maintain their teaching certification. In addition, teachers with master's degrees typically earn higher salaries than those with only a bachelor's degree.
The MEd in Special Education Cross-Endorsement is a 36-credit program and includes 14 weeks of student teaching.
Additional benefits:
- Direct admission to the master's degree program without re-applying.
- Earn a second certification in Special Education that can give you additional career options.
- See the full curriculum here:
- BS in Early Childhood Birth-Kindergarten/MEd in Special Education Cross-Endorsement
- BS in Early Childhood PreK-Grade 3/MEd in Special Education Cross-Endorsement

