The program is designed to prepare early childhood educators to provide leadership in working with children with and without special needs, ages birth through kindergarten and their families. Courses and experiences include Professional Learning Communities in which students interact with other graduate students from various content areas and grade levels to discuss and work on real world challenges and promising practices they encounter in schools and other settings with early childhood programs. IECE program graduates are qualified to work with children from birth to entry into the primary program. This includes teaching children in kindergarten or other programs for five-year-olds if those programs are operated separately from the primary program. Graduates are prepared for positions in public schools, First Steps, Head Start programs, child care centers, and other public and private agencies serving young children and families. In addition, graduates may serve in leadership roles, such as preschool consultant, professional development provider, child evaluation specialist, etc. This degree program is designed for individuals who have prior teaching certification in IECE. The 36-hour program of study consists of 15 semester hours of professional education coursework, 12 semester hours of required specialization courses, and 9 semester hours of specialization electives approved by the advisor.

Where the agency employs a certified teacher as a: kindergarten teacher preschool teacher early childhood special educator (age 0-5 years) developmental interventionist infant-toddler teacher early childhood parent educator special educator for IEP’s and IFSP’s home-based early childhood teacher itinerant early childhood teacher nursery school teacher