Early Childhood Education Programs and Schools in New York
An early childhood education career is a great way for you to stay youthful and make a difference in the lives of young children. Working in this field is truly exciting, and kids are amazing and creative, making the job more pleasant. But in order to pursue this career, you must earn a degree and get your certification in the state you want to teach in.
There are numerous early childhood education programs all over New York and in some cases, you will just need a Bachelor’s degree to get started. In other cases, you may have to go for a Master’s or Ph.D. to become even better at your job.
In either case, New York features various universities you can check and, in this article, we will present four of them.
New York University
New York University was founded in 1831 and it is located in beautiful New York City. The private research university’s founders were a group of people from New York led by Albert Gallatin, who used to be the Secretary of the Treasury at that time.
Nowadays, New York University is one of the best universities not only in the state but also in the world. People from all states and 133 countries pick this university for their studies, and for a good reason – they are professional and offer top courses to all students.
Early Childhood Education Program
If you are ready to become a teacher for young children, New York University has just what you need. The university offers a Bachelor of Science program in early childhood education and early childhood special education that will allow you to teach children from birth through grade 6.
This program prepares you to get your New York State dual certification. During your studies, you will learn core subjects and focus on the way children learn at young ages.
The degree program has two formats: full-time or part-time, depending on your preference or possibilities. To graduate, you will need 128-134 credits. In total, you will be studying for 4 years, after which you will work to obtain your licensure or certification for teaching in New York.
Your schedule will include various courses, some of the most important being:
- Literature as Exploration
- Physical Science and Life Science: Science in our Lives
- Cultures and Contexts
- Integrated Arts in Early Childhood and Childhood Education
- Multilingual Learners in Early Childhood
- Mathematics in Early Childhood Education
If you are a first-year applicant, you will have to submit an application, as well as the following documents:
- A Self-Reported Academic Record
- Standardized test scores
- English language testing (only for cases where you have not completed 3 years of study with English as the main language)
- The Common Application Mid-Year Report
- Records of college work that brought you academic credits
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is located in New York City, and it was founded in 1886. It offers students the opportunity to study in-person at 4 NYC locations, but also online. The institution has 11 graduate and undergraduate schools.
Early Childhood Education Program
Yeshiva University offers the opportunity to become an early childhood educator through the Stern College for Women. It provides a major that allows students to learn how to work with young children and help them develop.
There are two registered programs that the college offers, respectively Elementary Education/Childhood (Grades 1-6) and Early Childhood Education (Birth – Grade 2).
Once graduate from the chosen program, graduates will be able to work for their New York State Initial Teacher Certification, as they will have the necessary studies and preparation.
On top of the major, there is also a minor consisting of 18 credits. This minor can also work for students who want to learn school psychology, secondary education, or speech therapy.
Not only will students learn the necessary theory that will help them in their future careers, but they will also get field experience. Individuals who enroll in this programs will be able to apply their knowledge in real classrooms, gaining experience and seeing what it is like to work with children.
There will be different courses in each semester, and some of them include:
- Foundations of Early Childhood Education
- Educational Psychology
- Language and Literacy in Early Childhood
- Linguistic Tools and Literacy Development in Young Children
- Elementary/Childhood Student Teaching
- Play: Life and Learning
- Special Education Methods: Applied Behavioral Analysis
The education major has a total of 33 credits.
Applying to Yeshiva University will require you to submit the following documents:
- A completed online application
- An essay
- Official ACT or SAT scores
- Extracurricular activity list or resume
- Letter of recommendation
- Official high school transcript
- An interview with a YU Admissions Officer
CUNY Lehman College
Lehman College is one of the best colleges in New York. This university has over 14,000 students and it offers over 90 graduate and undergraduate programs. It was founded as the Hunter College Bronx campus back in 1931.
Early Childhood Education Program
As part of its Department of Early Childhood and Childhood Education, CUNY Lehman College offers several programs for people who want to work in early childhood education.
Students have several undergraduate and graduate options to choose from. For example, there is an early childhood education minor to Master’s degree that prepares you to teach children birth through Grade 2.
Then, there is also an Early Childhood/Childhood Education program. This minor has two options. One of them is for individuals who want to obtain an ECCE minor, yet do not want to get NYS certification for teaching.
The other one is for students who wish to obtain their certification. The second minor requires at least 12 credits for completion, and students must have a minimum 3.0 grade to complete the degree.
Undergraduate programs will last for four years. There will be different courses as part of the degree program, including:
- Bilingualism for Classroom Teachers, Birth to Grade Six
- The Child in Historical, Political & Sociocultural Contexts: Child Study & Dev.-Birth to Grade 6
- The Young Child and the Arts, Birth to Grade 2
To apply for an undergraduate program you must submit the application online. The documents you must submit include GED scores or GED diplomas, proof of high-school graduation, official high school transcripts, and ACT or SAT scores.
After completing one of these undergraduate programs , it is possible to seek a Master of Science in Education degree in Early Childhood Education. Students must complete at least 39 credits of prescribed coursework in order to graduate from the master’s program.
Some of the courses that are part of the master’s program include:
- Child Study and Developmental Assessment, Birth to Grade 2
- The Young Child with Special Needs
- Literacy Development in Early Childhood Settings, Birth to Grade 2
Monroe College – Bronx/New Rochelle
Monroe College was founded in 1933 and it is a private for-profit NYC college. Its Bronx/New Rochelle campuses offer great opportunities for students who seek greatness in their studies.
Early Childhood Education Program
Monroe College offers a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education on campus. It prepares students to teach children from birth to grade 2. If you want to help children in urban areas, then this is a wonderful program option for you.
For four years, you will learn all the knowledge and skills necessary to help young children. There will be different courses as part of your degree program, including:
- Teaching Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms
- Normal Speech and Language Development and Linguistics
- Mentored Education Internship
- College Writing and Critical Analysis
- Introduction to Dramatic Arts
- Introduction to Psychology
You will have to complete 120 credits to graduate and to apply, you will need the following documents:
- Online application
- An essay
- SAT/ACT scores (optional)
- Unofficial high-school transcripts
- An interview
Early Childhood Work Opportunities in New York
Studying early childhood education and getting your degree and certification or licensure to teach opens your doors to many career opportunities. You will be able to touch the minds of young children, giving them the help they need to learn everything necessary for their development and future. On top of that, you can work with children’s parents.
In this field, you can work in all sorts of environments. For example, you can settle for large cities in New York state, such as the famous New York City, or you can go to smaller towns or even more rural areas. There, you can choose to work as a teacher or pick a different profession.
New York has a lot of job opportunities for those who want to work with children of young ages. Educational consultants preK-2 can work for Teaching Matters, Inc., while Scholastic hires early childhood literacy specialists.
You can also work as early childhood teachers for the NYC Department of Education, or as early childhood regional coordinators for the Research Foundation of the City University of New York. The latter hires early childhood career advisors as well. Some people also hire nannies for their children and a degree in early childhood education can raise your chances of being hired.
So, as you can see, you do not necessarily have to work as a teacher to offer your help to families with young children. While being a teacher is a wonderful profession, there are other careers you can seek, such as childcare worker, childcare center director, psychologist, nanny, and more.
If you work in New York state in early childhood education, you will be able to earn a pretty good income once you become more experienced. As of March 2023, on average, an early childhood teacher in NY earns $61,119 per year.
So, anyone who loves children and wants to help with their development can look for jobs in the early childhood education sector. Choose your career based on what you are drawn by the most and make sure to pick the right early childhood education program. The good news is that New York has an abundance of such programs in its universities.