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Overview of Early Childhood Education Degrees

ah4612 | Nov 29, 2009 |

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Early childhood education plays an important role in a child's life from birth to five years. While some may see people employed in early childhood education classrooms as glorified babysitters, early childhood education specialists help to stimulate a child's brain to grow and develop using age-appropriate activities. This requires knowledge and training in child development which can be obtained through an early childhood education degree.

Length
An early childhood education degree at most colleges and universities require students to earn between 120 and 130 credit hours. Enrolled as a full-time student, this takes approximately four years to complete. However students can speed their early childhood education degree completion up by taking general education courses during high school for college credit or taking heavier course loads each semester.

Cost
Each college and university offering an early childhood education degree program sets their own price for tuition, fees, books and other services. Milligan College estimates their program costs students approximately $20,000 to earn their degree in early childhood education and development. Students may qualify for scholarships and financial aid to offset the cost of their degree.

General Education Classes
The first two years of early childhood education courses are spent obtaining general education courses. These include classes such as English, speech, college algebra, science and humanities and social science electives. Students can use humanities and social science electives to take courses related to their major. For example, instead of taking British literature as a humanities elective, students in early childhood eductation can take children's literature as this applies more to their field of study.

Core Classes
Students begin taking core classes as they complete the majority of their general education courses. These core classes apply specifically to the field of early childhood education as students learn about a child's physical, mental, emotional and social development from birth through year five. In addition they learn how to play, teach and develop appropriate activities based on the child's age and developmental level.

Licensure
New York is one example of a state which requires teachers in early childhood education classrooms to have a license. Early childhood education degrees usually offer a licensure track, which provides future teachers with a set of classes focused on curriculum, instruction and classroom management.