MS - Early Childhood Education
This program is intended for Early Childhood Professionals with work experience related to early childhood fields, which may include, Education, Health Care, Ministry, Social/Support Services, Non-Profit Organizations, Government Entities, and Childcare Administrators, among others. The MS in Early Childhood Education program is a lock-step, graduate-level, licensure or non-licensure degree program structured to prepare candidates as advanced-level early childhood professionals, focusing on subject matter expertise, assessment knowledge, research, and developmentally appropriate instructional practices to early learning environments in order to support the healthy development of young children (birth-age 8) and their families.
Candidates will complete a 33-credit hour program that is aligned to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation’s (CAEP) advanced-level program standards and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards. Courses are designed to provide participants with an essential mix of theory and practice. Embedded clinical field experiences require participants to arrange access to early childhood settings, which may include one’s own classroom or employer when appropriate.
Courses
Required Courses
Required Core Courses
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students should be able to:
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Exhibit School of Educational Leadership (SoEL) professional dispositions, demonstrate moral decision-making, uphold ethical standards with all stakeholders; reflect Christ-like behavior as the foundation of work with families, young children, and communities.
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Actively promote child development and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all children in childcare, classroom, home, and community settings.
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Create safe, healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments, where young children have access to quality learning opportunities that inspire and set the stage for growth across the developmental domains.
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Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of diverse family and community characteristics; honor diverse cultural values, language, and norms by encouraging a child’s learning connectedness to home.
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Consider contextual factors, learning cycle choices, development, and environment to proactively determine appropriate setting and behavior management procedures and practices; Initiate and think professionally in a timely manner to address management concerns.
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Design developmentally appropriate content-rich purposeful curriculum emphasizing the integration of topics and disciplines; Integrate academic standards, child development, impacting contextual factors and individual/group interests, needs, and learning styles.
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Facilitate positive, respectful, and reciprocal relationship-based interactions as a foundation to support, empower, and engage young children and families.
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Apply constructivist (Vygotsky) theoretical framework into practice throughout academic disciplines to design and support inquiry- based, play-based, open-ended, project-based, and problem-based learning experiences.
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Participate in informed advocacy for young children, families, and the early childhood profession through multiple types of advocacy (citizen, issue-based, self group, peer, statutory, family & friend).
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Evaluate and implement developmentally appropriate effective approaches when selecting a wide variety of tools, resources, and strategies to meet the unique needs of all learners including: technology, inquiry-based, project-based, problem-based, UDL, RTI, and differentiation practices.
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Demonstrate skills in systematic and responsible observing, documenting, assessing, analyzing, and reporting data to support early learning.
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Practice servant leadership philosophy and principles in approach to clinical and service experiences, serve by putting the needs of others first, sharing power, aspire to lead after trust and relations are earned and built, helping young children, families, and communities develop and perform as highly as possible.
