Find out which online schools are the best for an early childhood education program. The list includes notable universities as well as affordable alternatives.
No human can develop to his potential without proper education. It’s an understood fact. Although the modes of education are seriously debated over the years. For some private tutoring of selective yet important and practical subjects is enough to conclude one’s education. Without going into the details, it is enough to say that the notion holds many loopholes and the education of a person is best given through joint effort of schools and society. In educational institutes, a child gets a unique environment and socializing opportunities not available anywhere else.
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The systematic path of a child’s education starting from preschool and going to university is very important for meeting proper and accepted standards of education.
Early childhood education is very important in the educational life of any person. Though often neglected, it must be stressed. This is the phase where the foundations are laid. A child’s development starts here and what he gets from here influences his later educational performance. Not only for students but early education of children is also very important for adults as it provides several promising careers like educators, psychologists, and much more. To judge a career, you must look at several factors before you can make up your mind. In addition, your temperament counts too.
You must ask yourself, are you excited about teaching young children? Do you like to be around children and have a genuine interest in their well-being? And so many more like these.
What do you need to become an Early Childhood Educator?
Once you have decided to opt for this field as your career, the next step is to implore the practicalities of the way. To become an educator, you need a degree in early childhood education. Degrees can be
- Associate Degree, 2 years
- Bachelor’s Degree, 4 years
- Master’s Degree, 4 years
- Doctoral Degree, 2-6 years
To get admission to an associate degree with a major in early childhood education, you need a high school diploma. For the bachelor’s degree, you need an associate degree. The same goes for all the above degrees. With these degrees, you get to learn how to deal with children of young age. As these, degree holders are meant to pursue careers as preschool, kindergarten, and elementary teachers, training is included along with theoretical work.
What are some best online schools for early childhood education?
One of the best ways to get a degree is online. Nowadays, more and more institutes are offering online programs for students. Some of the best institutes for online early education degrees are compiled here.
Florida International University
This high-ranking university is offering online bachelor’s courses in early childhood education. Located in the attractive town of Miami, Florida. The degree offered focuses on early childhood development with special emphasis on the cognitive, emotional, and social development of young kids. Moreover, the degree also includes language teaching to young students starting their educational phase.
The school is accredited and is a good option for online learners with 68% online enrollment. Moreover, the graduation rate is also pretty high at 63%. You need a 2.5 GPA along with SAT or ACT score for admission. The degree has 120 credit hours in total till graduation. As far as the costs are concerned, each credit hour is around $300 with some variation for in-state and out-of-state students.
University of Washington
The University of Washington offers distance learning courses with a major in early childhood education. The degree is centered on using instruction as the medium of improving early childhood education. The course is designed to meet the requirements of distance learning.
Full-time or part-time enrollments are offered for the course. The candidate needs a 2.0 GPA at the least to meet the admission application criteria. The enrollment rate is pretty low for online courses here and stands at a mere 8%. Though the graduation rate is pretty high at 84%.
Liberty University
Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty University offers online courses in early childhood education. The program focuses on building teaching skills in students to make them young children educators. Moreover, an optional field experience course is also offered with the program.
The school is famous for online enrollments and stands at 92%. You need a 2.0 GPA and a high school self-certification form. The transfer credit limit is up to 75% of the total credit hours in the degree.
What can you expect from a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education?
A bachelor’s degree in early childhood education can prepare you for many careers depending on your interest and aptitude. Becoming an educator is the most obvious when and is open for those displaying a genuine interest in early childhood development and education. After the completion of 4-year bachelor’s degree, you become eligible to apply for any educator job as a preschool, or kindergarten teacher. Some states require a teaching license for the job which can be achieved after passing the exam for the license.
Students can choose a specific discipline in light of their career goals. Some of them are
- Kindergarten Education
- Early Childhood Education
- Elementary School Education
- Policy and Advocacy
Courses Offered in early childhood education degree online:
The exact details of the curriculum vary from program to program and institute to institute. But the main principles remain the same in all early childhood education programs.
Curriculum Development
During the bachelor’s in early childhood education degree online, the students are taught about curriculum planning and design. All the factors that influence the curriculum of early childhood education are addressed here with a special focus on material and lesson structures. The relevance of content and assessment of children on its basis is also included in this course.
Child Development
This is the most important objective of early childhood education and this course. The course includes development theories for young children including the cultural and social impact on their behavior and mental health. Students are taught to deal with different situations with appropriate strategies.
How much can you make after getting your degree in early childhood education?
A career in early childhood education is quite promising as it offers above-average salaries. The exact figures vary from place to place but the average is around $18 per hour. With a bachelor’s degree, an early childhood educator is expected to earn around $30000 annually.
