As a graduate of Southern's undergraduate Early Childhood program, you will enter the classroom ready to teach. You will shape the most critical time in a child's education. As a teacher, you will work with students to build the foundations of literacy and numeracy necessary for lifelong learning.
The successful completion of this program includes the Liberal Education Program requirements, 40.5 credits in the Early Childhood Education major (including a 12-credit student teaching placement), and 36 credits in a second major consisting of concentrations in Psychology and Child, Family & Community Studies.
Graduates of the program, who successfully pass all state licensing exams, will earn a teacher certificate to teach in Pre-K to grade three classes.
A conceptual framework is a representation of interrelated principles that guide our program. They inform the development of our courses, field-based experiences, extra-curricular offerings, and community collaborations, as well as the outcomes for our teacher candidates. Our guiding principle for our program is: Preparing Reflective, Inclusive, Equitable, and Knowledgeable Educators who are Advocates for Children and Families.
Reflective
Throughout our program, candidates are given opportunities to develop a capacity for critical reflection that leads to action, also referred to by Paulo Freire, as praxis. Candidates engage in reflective practices that allow them to grapple with difficult ideas, participate in dialogue across differences, and engage in changes and actions and are informed by these reflections.
Inclusive
Our program is committed to cultivating classroom spaces that are inclusive to all our teacher candidates while also providing the knowledge and skills necessary for them to utilize inclusive practices in their future classrooms. This includes preparing our candidates to support all children’s unique strengths and needs, including children with disabilities and those who are multilingual learners. Candidates learn to use the following inclusive practices in their future classrooms: universal design for learning, pedagogies of belonging, culturally responsive pedagogies, and collaborative practices with communities and families.
Equitable
Early childhood education that is equitable and liberatory is a central commitment within our entire program. Across each of their courses, we provide teacher candidates with the knowledge and understandings necessary to analyze how inequity shapes the experiences of children, families, and schools both locally and nationally. We also support teacher candidates’ development of strategies to cultivate equitable, antiracist, and anti-bias classrooms and learning experiences for all children.
Knowledgeable
Our faculty, students, administrators and staff demonstrate well-developed content knowledge and skills specific to the early childhood profession. The coursework provides deep studies of theories and research that is grounded in best practices in early childhood education. They draw on both their knowledge and skills to positively impact the learning and development of all children in schools. Faculty and candidates demonstrate the ability and willingness to engage in effective planning; develop measurable outcomes; thoughtfully differentiate instruction/care; personalize professional practice; appropriately assess for understanding and growth; interpret data accurately and use findings in decision-making; reflect on practice; and embrace and readily employ emerging technologies.
Advocates
The above components weave together to support our teacher candidates, as well as faculty, to become advocates for children, families, and the profession of early childhood education. Our candidates will use their deep understandings of theory, research, social justice, equity, inclusion, and critical reflection to advocate for change.
The courses, curricula, and learning experiences we provide to our teacher candidates are grounded in the following values:
Critical Self-reflection, Advocacy, and Action
We strive to support our teacher candidates’ capacity for engaging in ethical practices in the profession as well as the ongoing practice of critical self-reflection that leads to changes in practice, advocacy, and action.
Play
We understand that play is a child’s basic human right and critical to growth and development. The value of play is integrated throughout our program.
Developmentally Appropriate and Culturally Responsive Curriculum and Pedagogy
We integrate developmentally appropriate, anti-bias, and inclusive practices in our course curricula and pedagogies; preparing our teacher candidates to cultivate a sense of belonging in their classrooms and support all children to reach their highest potential.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interconnectedness of biological and socio-cultural aspects of child development as well as the unique experiences of multilingual children as well as those with and without disabilities.
(NAEYC Standard 1)
- Design and facilitate culturally responsive, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children, preschool through grade 3. (NAEYC Standard 4)
- Design and facilitate learning experiences for young children that are grounded in deep content knowledge, play, and inquiry and also promotes curiosity and problem solving. (NAEYC Standard 5)
- Demonstrate and apply knowledge of developmentally appropriate and equitable observation and assessments of young children to inform teaching and learning in the classroom. (NAEYC Standard 3)
- Cultivate classroom spaces where children feel a sense of belonging and are supported socially and emotionally through positive guidance. (NAEYC Standard 4)
- Design and facilitate learning experiences that are differentiated to meet the strengths, needs, and interests of individual children. (NAEYC Standard 5)
- Analyze areas of inequity in early childhood education and utilize strategies for equitable and anti-bias curriculum and pedagogy in the early childhood classroom. (NAEYC Standard 4)
- Collaborate and partner with families and community resources to support young children’s growth and learning. (NAEYC Standard 2)
- Demonstrate strategies for critical self-reflection that leads to advocacy in the classroom, school, and community. (NAEYC Standard 6)
Completer Graduation Rate
| Academic year in which a Fall cohort of full-time candidates enrolled in the program | Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 150% of the published timeframe* | Percentage of those candidates who completed the program within 100% (exactly the published timeframe) |
| 20-21 | 100% | 80% |
| 21-22 | 97% | 84% |
| 23-24 | 100% | 100% |
*published timeframe is 2 academic years
Program Completers
| Academic Year | Number of program completers | % of program completers who were attending full-time (at the time of completion) |
| 21-22 | 45 | 100 |
| 22-23 | 36 | 100 |
| 23-24 | 24 | 100 |
*At the time of completion, all students are full time as their last semester requires full-time student teaching.
Average GPA of Completers
| Academic Year | Outcome Measure | Performance Data |
| 21-22 | Average GPA of Completers | 3.48 |
| 22-23 | Average GPA of Completers | 3.51 |
| 23-24 | Average GPA of Completers | 3.52 |
Careers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of kindergarten and elementary school teachers is projected to grow by four percent. Rising student enrollment should increase demand for kindergarten and elementary teachers. The number of students enrolling in public kindergarten and elementary schools is expected to increase over the coming decade, and the number of classes needed to accommodate these students should rise. As a result, more teachers will be needed to teach public kindergarten and elementary school students.
Typical Job Titles
- Preschool Teacher
- Kindergarten Teacher
- Childcare Center Director
- Family Childcare Provider
- Early Intervention Specialist
- Early Childhood Education Consultant
- Curriculum Specialist
- Education Administrator
- Parent Educator
- Head Start Program Director