Early Childhood Education
Program Introduction
The Early Childhood Education Program leads to the Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Early Childhood Education. The initial licensure program is designed to develop teachers who can teach effectively across the age span and meet variations in ability from preschool through grade 5.
Professional Licensure Disclosure
This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.
The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (BSE ECED) at Kent State University at Tuscarawas is a 2 + 2 program that focuses on professional preparation of teacher candidates. Course work focuses on the application of current theory, methods, and practices for the PreK-5th grade classroom. Students pursue a program of study that involves Kent Core requirements, college requirements, and a six- semester block of early childhood education courses that are integrated with field and clinical experiences. The program includes two student teaching experiences: preschool (180 clock hours) and kindergarten/elementary (525 clock hours). In the remaining blocks, students complete approximately 500 additional field hours at the preschool, kindergarten, and primary levels.
The University’s goal is to provide educational experiences and coursework that supports the development of critically reflective teachers who value children and are interested in becoming committed professionals in the field of early childhood education. Throughout coursework and field experiences, teacher candidates engage with the knowledge and skills needed to understand child development and implement developmentally appropriate practices.
Kent State Tuscarawas provides high quality teaching, advising, and mentoring to support students as they develop the needed skills to become effective educators in both school and non-school settings. Students who wish to pursue this degree must possess a commitment to valuing all children, regardless of ability or background. They must have the ability to work with diverse students and families as well as the surrounding community, providing quality educational experiences.
Admission into the Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) degree program is selective and requires successful completion of the Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education Technology (AAS/ECET). However, completion of the associate degree in Early Childhood Education Technology does not guarantee admission into the last two years of the baccalaureate program. Students seeking admission to this program must meet all professional requirements for admission to advanced study and have a minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA in all previous undergraduate coursework. Because of an instituted enrollment management plan, meeting the above requirements does not automatically provide students admittance to the early childhood education major. Faculty will select the most qualified applicants based upon the number of available student spaces, students' standardized test scores (Praxis I), essay, interview, and cumulative GPA.
Students will need to discuss with their advisors during the first year of study the procedures associated with admission to advanced study and selective admission to the early childhood education program. Students transferring from another university should meet with an academic advisor at least one semester prior to transferring.
Applications are submitted in January and May with students beginning the advanced studies program the following fall semester. Once students are accepted into the advanced studies program, they will complete a four-block sequence of advanced coursework with diverse field experiences in the elementary classroom to prepare them to sit for their licensure exams. Graduates of the program who pass the State of Ohio Assessment Tests are eligible for Ohio licensure in Early Childhood, P-5, which is valid for teaching children, age three through grade five, who are typically developing, at-risk, gifted, or who have mild/moderate educational needs.
Graduates also have the opportunity to apply for an International Baccalaureate Primary-Years Program (IB-PYP) teaching certificate concurrent with the completion of the B.S.E. degree.
Kent State Tuscarawas Early Childhood Requirement Sheet (PDF)
Competencies Upon Completion
Graduates of the program will be able to:
- Co-construct curriculum as a co-worker with learners and others (parents, families, colleagues, and community members) to make sound decisions for learning and teaching experiences, as opposed to being passive receivers of prescribed curriculum.
- Synthesize conceptual understandings of children, theory, content, technology and sociocultural contexts into meaningful activities and opportunities for learning with all preK-to-grade-five students.
- Engage in the habit of self-assessment to continually uncover unknown possibilities in children’s learning, classroom practice, educational theory and one’s own teaching identity in the local and global context.
- Become committed to the children and their learning, the families and the local community while having an awareness of the global context; engage in continuous self-improvement and lifelong learning.
- Apply skills, knowledge, and dispositions to challenge policies that limit opportunities for all children.
- Utilize research and theory to develop varied and effective pedagogies and assessments that will positively impact all students’ learning through a transdisciplinary practice.
- Advocate as ethical leaders and moral agents striving for social justice,
- Acknowledge and practice multiple, multi-ethnic, multicultural, multiracial, multi- social and -economic and multilingual perspectives in a global society.
Faculty
Dr. Sandra Pech, Assistant Professor