Early Childhood Education Degree Options

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by mhl, Aug 15, 2005.

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  1. mhl

    mhl New Member

    My wife is interested in going back to school and earning either an associates or possibly even a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. Because of family and job responsibilities, she is looking for a school that offers these degrees either completely or almost completely online. Regional accreditation also would be preferred.

    Have any of you had any experience with any good programs she might be able to check into?

    Thanks!

    Mark
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    California College for Health Sciences www.cchs.edu (BG15, 100) associate's
    Central Queensland University www.dtls.cqu.edu.au (BG15, 103) bachelor's
    Charles Sturt University www.csu.edu.au (BG15, 104) bachelor's
    Concordia University (Minnesota) www.csp.edu (BG15, 157) bachelor's
    University of Dundee www.dundee.acf.uk (BG15, 136) bachelor's
    Elizabethtown College www.etown.edu (BG15, 159) bachelor's
    Kentucky Commonwealth Virtual University www.kcvu.org (BG15, 118) associate's & bachelor's
    Macquarie University www.coe.mq.edu.au (BG15, 120) bachelor's
    University of South Australia www.unisa.edu.au (BG15, 145) bachelor's
     
  3. Ron Dotson

    Ron Dotson New Member

  4. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    By the way, is there a difference between early childhood education and elementary education?
     
  5. Ron Dotson

    Ron Dotson New Member

    Early Childhood Education is birth through age five and Elementary Education is Kindergarten through 5th Grade or so my wife tells me. My wife works in ECE for the Head Start Program.
     
  6. Ron Dotson

    Ron Dotson New Member

  7. Ron Dotson

    Ron Dotson New Member

  8. mhl

    mhl New Member

    Thanks, everyone, for your input. You've given us a lot of options to look into.

    If anyone knows of any others, especially those you have personal experience with, please keep the recommendations coming.

    Mark
     
  9. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Your wife might be interested in Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena California.

    Pacific Oaks is an entire college that specializes in early childhood education. It runs laboratory schools and stuff.

    http://www.pacificoaks.edu

    They offer both BA and MA programs by distance learning. It might not be immediately appropriate for your wife because the online BA program is an upper-division degree-completion thing aimed at people who did their first two years at community colleges. But she might want to consider it down the line.

    http://www.pacificoaks.edu/pages/120.asp

    They do require that at least two classes be done in person, but these are scheduled in an intensive short-course format and apparently can be done at remote sites scattered all over California.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 16, 2005
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    If the wife's interested in a grad degree down the road, here's a few options via dl.

    Concordia University (Minnesota) www.csp.edu (BG15, 157) master's
    Macquarie University www.coe.mq.edu.au (BG15, 120) master's & doctorate
    University of Nebraska http://dcs.unl.edu (BG15, 179) master's
    University of Northern Colorado www.unco.edu (BG15, 142) master's
     
  11. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Mark,
    My old haunt www.limestone.edu has a Bachelor's in Elementary Education that may be a good fit. While not a Early Childhood degree, I think it may be completed entirely online in an accelerated format too!

    I remember having a conversation with a lady on campus one day that was a course or two shy of having her degree and she told me something very enlightening! She said, an idea class for elementary ed teachers was 3-4 grade; any younger and some still have those rare toliet accidents and often times turn on the tears. While 5-6th grade, she said, many are beginning to "feel their oats"and starting to enter into that rebellious realm.
    Hope this helps,
    Gavin
     
  12. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    My mom was a teacher for twenty years. She too used to say that a third grade class was ideal because the kids are still young enough to love you but they're old enough to tie their own shoes and wipe their oen noses.
     
  13. duff

    duff New Member

    As stated before, Early Childhood Education is birth through 5 (years old) while Elem. Edu is K-6 but depending on the state is may be K-5. Early Childhood is for childcare centers, head start programs or Pre-K in school systems. Elem. Edu is K-6 in state or private schools.

    Nova Southeastern University also has an online AA degree in ECE.

    http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/ecaa/

    3rd grade and up has the pressures of EOG testing and NCLB test standards. But if you are good at what you do, you don't have to worry about that.

    Duff
     
  14. Ron Dotson

    Ron Dotson New Member

    A further comment on Early Childhood Education and the Head Start Program in Georgia (don't know about other states); Head Start teachers (each room has a teacher and an assistant) that hold an Associate in ECE generally earn a better salary than Pre-K teachers with the same degree. I believe the same might hold true for holders of Bachelors in ECE.
     
  15. suelaine

    suelaine Member

    Early Childhood or Elementary



    Why not get a dual degree in both early childhood and el. ed? This would give you (your wife) many more work options in the future. I went for El. Ed. first with Empire State College but I ended up getting certifed in Pre-K, El. Ed, and Secondary Mathematics all through a non-traditional / distance learning environment (before the days of Internet so it was not online).

    I wish I could recommend ESC to you but I really can't. They don't offer programs leading to teacher licensure. At the time I was enrolled, you could get your Bachelor's from any accredited college and you could seek licensure based on having met a lengthy list of specific required courses and 36 credits in your major area. I don't think I took any courses at all in "early education" but, hey, that is what they slapped on my certificate along with El. Ed, and so I am happy to add that to my repetoire! (I added math later but without taking additional coursework). I didn't student teach in math but I did in El. Ed. and that is why I couldn't initially get the math cert. I got experience teaching math in a roundabout way and then I got the student teaching requirement waived and was able to get my cert. in that too! Now, NY State requires that those seeking licensure must attend colleges that specifically offfer programs leading to teacher certification.

    I would give Western Governor's University a call and ask them if they offer programs leading to this dual pre-k/el. ed. certification. On their website, www.wgu.edu it doesn't say much, if anything about "Pre" but I notice their PK-8 Interdisciplinary Studies program has the "P" in it so it might be worth looking into further. I see many colleges have been listed for you by others. If you seek working in a public school, I really believe there is an advantage to choosing a US based, RA accredited school. I don't have experience with WGU but I looked into it for a friend and based on what I have read and researched, that is what I'd choose if I was in the position I once was (looking for a non-traditional / distance learning option of earning a college degree and teaching credentials).

    An additional thought: I believe Education Direct (DETC accredited) offers an early education Associate Degree. In your original post you said RA is preferred but you left the door open for NA with that statement. Depending on your wife's goals, this might be worth looking into. I have completed Ed. Direct's Visual Basic Diploma program and I enjoyed it. If she wants credentials for a public school setting, though, DETC accreditation will not get her there; it has to be RA.

    Good luck with whatever your wife wants to pursue!
     

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