Early Childhood Education
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Degree Type
Associate of Applied Science
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College
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Contact
Advising Contact:
Phone: 479-788-7856
Invest in yourself and help prepare the next generation of students by earning an Associate of Applied Science in early childhood education.
This 60-credit hour program is designed primarily for preschool workers and P-4 teaching
assistants or paraprofessionals who are not seeking admission into a teacher licensure
program. Coursework is designed to address the birth-to-age-5 population.
Additionally, students who are successful in completing this degree will meet the
educational component of the Arkansas Birth Through Pre-kindergarten Teaching Credential
awarded by the Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education.
Earning your associate degree in early childhood education will provide you with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to effectively prepare students for academic success. You'll be able to pursue careers as an assistant preschool teacher, childcare worker, or teacher's assistant. Some of the courses within this curriculum will transfer into a bachelor's degree program for those who later wish to continue their education. According to the the annual median wage for preschool teachers in 2023 was $37,130.
Related Degree
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (NL)
This 120-credit hour, non-licensure, program is designed for preschool workers and
P-4 teaching assistants. This program includes more than 30-credit hours in ECE specific
coursework which makes it a great choice for lead teachers in Head Start and private
centers. You will also be eligible to earn your first-time license in Early Childhood
Pre-K through the Arkansas Department of Higher Education's Early Childhood PreK Teacher
Academy.
Related Certificates
This 26-credit hour program delivers a curriculum specifically designed to address pre-school and early childhood education. Courses include Child Guidance, Preschool Curriculum, and Infant Toddler Curriculum.
This 13-credit hour program delivers a foundational curriculum designed to address
preschool and early childhood education. Courses include Foundations of Early Childhood
Education, Child Growth and Development, Future Perspectives in Early Childhood, and
First Aid.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Show understanding of young children鈥檚 developmental stages of learning from birth through age 8 by creating healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments for young children.
- Demonstrate understanding of diversity in the community and the classroom by engaging families and communities in respectful, reciprocal relationships that foster classroom development.
- Exhibit understanding of the goals, benefits, and uses of assessment as they work with young children by using developmentally appropriate assessment to develop curriculum, use teaching strategies, and set goals for their pre-kindergarten students.
- Demonstrate understanding of early childhood best practices by creating diverse and differentiated teaching strategies to help young children engage in their learning and diverse developmental stages. Candidates will practice self-reflection to promote positive outcomes in their teaching, and they will use a broad repertoire of developmentally appropriate teaching strategies and learning approaches.