Early Childhood Education Degree & Certificate Courses

If you love children and want to play a key role during their formative years, this field is for you. We'll prepare you to work in a preschool, elementary classroom, play group, tutoring service or youth facility, in a leadership position that can make a difference in children's lives.

You'll take 20 self-paced, career-relevant courses. Each includes its own textbook and learning guide. Comprehensive lessons give you insight into the real-world issues and challenges that you're likely to encounter on the job. Complete the online exams without pressure on your own convenient timetable. When you graduate, you should be confident of your capabilities and have the competitive edge necessary to qualify for the most desirable positions. If you have a high school diploma, it's time to move ahead with a college degree!

Child Development Education Career Information:
If you truly care for children and exhibit strong desires to help them learn and succeed in life, then a career in early childhood education may be a sincere labor of love for you. Early childhood education graduates will appreciate employment in a field that can dramatically shape and influence the lives of multiple children. These educators enjoy teaching and are capable of using their valued skills in varying instructional methods. They typically prefer autonomous work environments and display steady, calm, and patient demeanors. Flexibility and creativity enables these instructors to design interesting and age-appropriate activities for young children and then readily adjust plans as needed.

A degree in early childhood education usually trains students for work with children from birth up to six years old and for teaching in many environments such as private or public preschools, childcare centers, elementary schools, and Head Start programs. Early childhood degree programs provide students with both practical and theoretical training to ensure they will create a positive impact on students' development. Students in these programs learn about the education, growth, and development of children, children's literature, child psychology, nutrition, and first aid.

Teaching methods, curriculum development, parenting, guidance, family support programs, early learning strategies, and theory application are additional topics covered in early childhood education programs. Some of these programs provide practical experiences through child development laboratories where students can apply learned theories and techniques, observe, and work with infants, toddlers and pre-school aged children inside actual childcare settings.

The options for students within early childhood education extend from an associate's degree up to a Ph.D. degree and new career opportunities arise with each level of education. Typically, associate degree programs prepare students to work as an assistant teacher in preschools or teach in private daycare centers. Graduates with bachelor's degrees generally work as lead teachers in public or private schools. Professionals with a master's degree often work in higher education, serve as educational counselors, train teachers, focus on classroom technology, administer or supervise preschools and daycares, and work in other environments that benefit from their heightened capabilities. Whereas, Ph.D. graduates most often conduct research relevant to the development of educational theories and practices, work as curriculum specialists, higher education instructors, or pursue key positions in advocacy roles and leadership positions.

Job opportunities for such graduates increases as parents and families rely more and more on childcare services outside of their own homes and seek institutions that emphasize early childhood education. Favorable growth in this field should continue for another decade as populations grow, Baby Boomer educators retire, and school enrollments increase. Most graduates can obtain work in elementary or pre-schools where they are responsible for helping young children develop intellectually, creatively, emotionally, socially, and physically. They also help children develop independence and self-esteem by working within programs that promote child development, success in school, and provide young children the best possible start in life.

Find the proper school and receive your early childhood education degree online. This is a great career that you can be proud of. Most classes have open enrollment so you can begin today.