Early Childhood Education (AS)

What is A Early Childhood Education (AS) Degree?

The field of Early Childhood Education (ECE) covers the teaching of children from birth through age 8, which is the third grade in U.S. schools.  A subset of the field is called Infant/Toddler education, a specialty area dealing with kids 0-3 years old.  ECE emerged in the eighteenth century in highly literate areas of Europe and continued to expand to the US in the nineteenth century.  Today it is well known that early education of children can be critical to their success.  Early childhood education sounds important, doesn’t it?

With an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education you’ll be able to work as a preschool teacher, as an assistant in a public school, or as a childcare director or worker. You may also work in a community agency that deals with children and their families.  The AS degree, however, probably will not quality you to be a kindergarten teacher in a public school; for that, you’d need the Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education.  The AS degree course work will include some general education including the fundamentals of child development and developmental psychology.  You’ll also have practical hands-on courses in things like nutrition and health or play and creative expression, where you’ll perform many of the classroom activities that children from 0 to 8 yrs. of age will participate in within the classroom.  Various projects will be completed, and a practicum experience may be required during the second year of training.