Early Childhood Education in New Jersey
When you attend college, you want to do so at an institution with a solid academic reputation. But you also want to be able to explore different student activities and have recreational and social opportunities off-campus, too. You can find all of these amenities in New Jersey!
New Jersey has a wide selection of two-year and four-year schools where you can study early childhood education. Whether youare a first-year student who wants to complete an associate’s degree or a seasoned early childhood educator coming back to school to get a graduate degree, there is something for everyone in the Garden State.
The question is, what are the best early childhood education programs in New Jersey?
Early Childhood Education Programs in New Jersey
Listed below are some of the popular school offering early childhood education programs in New Jersey:
- Bergen Community College
- New Jersey City University
- Capella University
- The College of New Jersey
- Kean University
- Walden University
To find out how we rank colleges and universities, please click here.
Bergen Community College
Bergen Community College was established in 1965 to improve access to higher education. Since then, the school has grown substantially and today has multiple campuses – the main campus in Paramus and satellite campuses in Hackensack and Lyndhurst. In fact, Bergen is the largest two-year school in the state, with more than 13,000 students.
One of the important features of BCC is that it offers dozens of degree and certificate programs. Many of these programs are designed for continuing education and adult education, though there are also many degrees for traditional college-age students.
Regardless of your age, you can rely on the fact that Bergen graduates rank first in the state for the highest incomes after graduation.
Early Childhood Education Program Information
The Professional Studies Associate of Science Degree – Education Option at Bergen College might be a great fit if you are just starting your college education. This two-year program allows you to build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in early childhood education that prepares you to transfer to a four-year school.
This 60-credit program allows you to choose from several different concentration areas. You can focus on early childhood or elementary education. Though not technically early childhood, you can focus on middle school or high school education, too.
Some of the courses you will take include:
- Foundations of Multicultural Education
- Educational Technology
- Principles and Practices in Education
- Educational Psychology
- Foundations of Early Child Education
There is also a three-credit supervised fieldwork experience that places you in an educational setting to observe a veteran teacher. This experience gives you insight into crucial educational topics and practices like lesson planning, classroom management, and using technology in the classroom.
You can apply to Bergen Community College year-round online. To do so, you must submit the following:
- High school transcripts
- Official college transcripts from any colleges or universities you’ve attended
- Self-certification of having a high school diploma or the equivalent
New Jersey City University
New Jersey City University is an appropriate choice for studying early childhood education because the school got its start in 1927 as a teacher’s college. Today, the university is far more diverse in its course and degree offerings. Yet, it still has a long tradition of training teachers to teach the next generation. With many field placement agreements with local educational institutions, New Jersey City University can help you find the ideal location for your student teaching.
Another benefit of studying at NJCU is the diversity of the campus. As a prospective teacher, your students will no doubt be from diverse backgrounds, so studying at a school with a high degree of diversity is excellent preparation. NJCU ranks first in New Jersey for diversity and ranks seventh in the nation in diversity, too.
Early Childhood Education Program Information
The Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education with Dual Certification in Early Childhood (P–3) and Special Education from NJCU gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of the careers you pursue after you graduate.
Not only can you pursue early childhood education careers, but you will also have the qualifications to work with special needs students – a niche of education that is always in need of qualified teachers.
This 128-credit program takes about four years to complete if you attend school full-time. During that time, you’ll take a wide range of education courses that prepare you to be a teacher. These courses include:
- Educational Needs of the Preschool Handicapped Child
- Emerging Literacy at Home and School
- Young Children’s Development Behavior and Learning
- Working with Families of Young Children
- Early Childhood Integrated Curriculum
Additionally, you will complete a semester’s worth of clinical practice, during which time you will also receive training in classroom management as well as the knowledge and practice of teaching. You must also complete a liberal arts major in art, science, English, or another core educational field.
You can Apply to NJCU online. The admissions requirements for first-year students are as follows:
- Complete the Common Application
- Submit high school transcripts
- Provide ACT or SAT scores if you choose – these are not required
The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey was founded in 1855 as a normal school for preparing teachers. Not only was it the first teacher’s college in the state, but it was also the fifth such college in the nation. Today, the school offers a broader range of academic programs, including undergraduate and graduate degrees in liberal arts and professional fields, like social sciences, engineering, and education, to name a few.
The location of The College of New Jersey is an amenity, too. It’s just outside the state capital of Trenton, and just one hour from New York City and Philadelphia, making it easy to access off-campus experiences.
However, the college’s campus has a lot to offer, with nearly 300 beautiful acres, Georgian architecture, and 14 residence halls where you get two years of guaranteed housing as a new first-year full-time student.
Early Childhood Education Program Information
The Early Childhood Education Bachelor of Science program from The College of New Jersey is a four-year bachelor’s degree that qualifies you to pursue P-3 certification in New Jersey. This is a dual-major program, so you must choose a second major that complements your early childhood education studies. Available majors include:
- African American Studies
- Art
- Biology
- English
- History
- Integrative STEM
- Mathematics
- Music
- Women’s and Gender Studies
You can also choose from Sociology, Spanish, and Psychology. A K-6 certification is available as well, provided you meet the requirements of additional coursework and testing.
While in this program, you will focus on gaining a relevant liberal arts education. But you’ll also learn educational theory that helps you become a competent teacher. The extensive opportunities for field learning in a classroom setting also give you the practice needed to implement your learning with students. You must have a 3.0 GPA to enter the field experience component of this program.
You can apply to this program by filling out an online application for admission to the university. Admission is highly competitive and requires that you submit the following:
- Official high school transcripts
- Two or three letters of recommendation
- An essay that explores your interest in attending the school
- A resume (though this is optional)
- SAT or ACT scores (though this is also optional)
Kean University
As is common for the schools on this list, Kean University began as a teacher’s college. Today, the university has a solid reputation for its education-related majors, but there are far more options today than there were when the school was founded in 1855. Though most of the degrees offered at Kean are undergraduate degrees, you can also choose from dozens of graduate programs and a few doctoral programs as well.
The Kean experience includes rich learning environments, small class sizes, and expert faculty who utilize their real-world experience to help you develop into a knowledgeable professional. But attending school at Kean isn’t just about what happens in the classroom. Instead, the university offers more than 130 student organizations that allow you to meet other students and explore academic and service-related interests.
Early Childhood Education Program Information
The Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Kean University qualifies you for P-3 certification in New Jersey. Additionally, you will have the qualifications to get a Teacher of Students With Disabilities endorsement.
As is common practice in New Jersey, you must choose a second major or a content area of emphasis to go along with your degree in early childhood education. Kean offers 11 different options, including:
- Communication
- English
- English Writing
- Earth Science
- Fine Arts
- History
- Math
- Music
- Psychology
- Spanish
- Theatre
Your early childhood education studies focus on teaching and learning, working with infants and toddlers, and using technology in the classroom. Other courses cover topics like classroom management, perspectives on early childhood education practice, and supporting emergent literacy.
Of course, you must also complete a clinical placement in an early childhood education classroom. This placement occurs during the final semester of this four-year program.
The application for Kean University is available online. When applying, you will need to provide the following:
- Official high school transcripts
- ACT or SAT scores (only if you’re homeschooled or have a GED)
- Two letters of recommendation
- A personal essay that explores your personal and career goals
- A list of your high school activities and work experiences, including any leadership roles you’ve held
Early Childhood Work Opportunities in New Jersey
Upon graduating from your early childhood education program, you will likely find many work opportunities in New Jersey. At the time of this writing, there are nearly 500 job openings for early childhood education jobs in the state – and that’s just from one job search platform!
Though the number of available jobs changes from one day to the next, the variety of jobs you can perform in early childhood education remains quite broad over time. For example, you might work for a child development center in Trenton and assist children under the age of five in developing crucial academic and social skills needed for success in school.
As another example, you might use your education to get certified as a classroom teacher in a public school in Hoboken. As an early childhood classroom teacher, your duties will run the gamut from designing lesson plans to teaching students about diversity and acceptance to working with children on developing positive social behaviors like sharing and teamwork.
Of course, the type of job you qualify for depends on your education. A two-year degree is typically needed for entry-level jobs like classroom assistant or daycare worker. But a four-year degree is needed to be a certified teacher, while a master’s degree in early childhood education could qualify you for administrative or consultative positions for educational organizations throughout New Jersey.