Degrees for Education

This program offers a hands-on approach to learning skills in working with young children from birth through the age of 12. Certificates and degrees have been designed to prepare students for employment at the various levels within privately funded child care centers and publicly funded child development programs.

The program meets the course requirements for teachers and directors of private child care programs licensed by the California State Department of Social Services (Title 22). In addition, the program meets the coursework requirements for the Child Development Permit issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

This course aims to refine the preparation of effective future practitioners employed in the Birth to Five sector. We want our teachers to recognise the importance of the early years and the educator’s role in children’s lives and have a balance between strong practical skills and a strong theoretical underpinning.

The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early childhood Studies will prepare graduates with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively work with young children and their families from birth through eight years of age. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in order to serve typically developing young children and those with disabilities within the natural settings of home, community, and schools.

The academic program will offer core curricula and practica in early childhood development and pedagogy while highlighting the contextual influences of family, culture, language, and society. The Early Childhood Studies Program is distinctive in that the major emphasizes the first eight years of life as extremely significant in children’s development.

Deciding to teach is only the beginning of the process…you will still need to determine whether you want to be certified to teach at the childhood level (grades 1 through 6, major code 0520); the early childhood level including kindergarten (birth through grade 2, major code 0521), or both (birth through grade 6, major code 0522). With some concentrations, you may also seek “extended” certification so you can build on the grades 1-6 certification and also teach middle school.

Deciding to teach is only the beginning of the process…you will still need to determine whether you want to be certified to teach at the childhood level (grades 1 through 6, major code 0520); the early childhood level including kindergarten (birth through grade 2, major code 0521), or both (birth through grade 6, major code 0522). With some concentrations, you may also seek “extended” certification so you can build on the grades 1-6 certification and also teach middle school.