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Home › Academic Catalogs › 2024-2025 Academic Catalog › 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog › College of Liberal Arts and Education › Early Childhood Education Program

Early Childhood Education Program

The undergraduate Early Childhood Education program prepares candidates to work with children from Birth-Grade 2. Completion of the program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree and prepares candidates to obtain an Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement in Early Childhood Education, an ESL and/or bilingual education endorsement and an Early Childhood Special Education Approval. The Early Childhood Education Program consists of general education and professional education courses that address requirements for graduation and the State of Illinois requirements for licensure. Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all coursework.

Early Childhood Education candidates will be concurrently enrolled in professional education coursework and field/practicum experiences designed to reinforce concepts and skills learned in the university classroom. The field/practicum experience courses are designed to provide opportunities for candidates to apply course concepts in authentic environments. Required activities and assignments provide candidates with the opportunity to connect theory and practice and prepare candidates for daily classroom responsibilities.

Early Childhood Education teacher candidates will observe and participate in a wide range of in-classroom teaching experiences in order to develop the skills and confidence necessary to be an effective teacher. The Early Childhood Education student teaching/clinical practice experiences have been designed as a serious apprenticeship that requires teacher candidates to spend one academic semester inside schools working alongside veteran Early Childhood educators.

University General Education and Illinois State Board of Education Coursework Requirements

The program requires successful completion of general education courses, professional education courses and core courses.

The Illinois State Board of Education requires the following subject-specific content coursework for a Professional Educator License with an Early Childhood Education endorsement. These courses also fulfill many of the general education requirements listed above.

  • POLSCI 101: Introduction to U.S. Government (3)
  • HIST 102: World History Since 1500 (3)
  • SOCSCI 101: World Geography (3)
  • HIST 190: Economic Development in U.S. History (3)
  • BIOL 101: Principles and Methods of Biology (3)
  • PHSCI 101: Physical Science (3)

8-Semester Course of Study

Freshman I (13 credits)

  • TS 100: Transitions (1)
  • FYS 175: First-Year Seminar (3)
  • ENGL 120: Rhetoric and Writing (3)
  • PHIL 140: The Examined Life (3)
  • POLSCI 101: Intro to U.S. Government (3)

Freshman II (15 credits)

  • EDUL 200: Education Orientation (0)
  • COMM 101: Speech Fundamentals (3)
  • BIOL 101: Principles and Methods of Biology (3)
  • Literature Elective (3)
  • Fine Arts Elective (3)
  • Elective (3)

Sophomore I (15 credits)

  • EDU 363: Foundations of Teaching ESL and Bilingual Education (3)
  • EDU 323: Survey of Students with Exceptionalities (3)
  • MATH 121: Math for Teachers I (3)
  • HIST 190: Economic Development in U.S. History (3)
  • SOCSCI 101: World Geography (3)

Sophomore II (15 credits)

  • EDU 205: Child Growth and Development (3)
  • EDU 364: Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language (3)
  • EDU 211: Infants and Toddlers Environments, Programs and Activities (2)
  • EDU 212: Foundations of Early Childhood Education (2)
  • EDU 213: Intro to ED edTPA (1)
  • EDUL 212: Infant Toddler Field Experience (1)
  • MATH 122: Math for Teachers II (3)

Sophomore Summer (3 credits)

EDU 367: Linguistics for Educators (3)

Junior I (14 credits)

  • EDU 252: Inquiry and Play in Early Childhood Education (3)
  • EDU 253: Integrated Curriculum and Methods in Early Childhood Education (4)
  • EDU 254: Emergent Literacy and Language Development (3)
  • EDUL 222: Pre-K Field Experience (1)
  • PHSCI 101: Physical Science (3)

Junior II (16 credits)

  • EDU 303: Foundations, Curriculum and Methods of Teaching Literacy K-2 (3)
  • EDU 304: Foundations, Curriculum and Methods of Teaching Mathematics K-2 (3)
  • EDU 305: Foundations, Curriculum and Methods of Teaching Science K-2 (2)
  • EDU 306: Foundations, Curriculum and Methods of Teaching Social Science K-2 (2)
  • EDU 307: Methods of Teaching Young Children with Special Needs (2)
  • EDU 380: Methods of Teaching Bilingual Education (3)
  • EDUL 232: Primary Field Experience (1)

Junior Summer (3 credits)

EDU 368: Assessment of Bilingual Students (3)

Senior I (16 credits)

  • EDU 365: Cross-Cultural Studies in Bilingual Programs (glob) (3)
  • EDU 309: Child, Family and Multicultural Community (2)
  • EDU 311: Assessment of Typically and Atypically Developing Young Children (2)
  • HIST 102: World History Since 1500 (3)
  • Elective (3)
  • Elective (3)

Senior II (12 credits)

  • EDU 348: Student Teaching -- Early Childhood Education (9)
  • EDU 345: Seminar in Teaching and Learning (3)

Requirements in this program are subject to change within the time span of one's University career due to changing requirements at national, state and local levels.