Early Childhood Education in New York
Embarking on a career in early childhood education allows you to maintain a sense of youthfulness while making a meaningful impact on young children’s lives. The field is genuinely exhilarating, with children’s remarkable creativity and energy making the profession even more enjoyable. However, to pursue this career path, it’s essential to obtain a degree and secure the necessary certification.
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.
Early Childhood Education Programs in New York
Listed below is a list of some of the popular schools offering early childhood education degree programs in Ne York:
- New York University
- Grand Canyon University
- Yeshiva University
- Capella University
- CUNY Lehman College
- Purdue Global
- Monroe College – Bronx/New Rochelle
To find out how we select colleges and universities, please click here.
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. Students from across the United States and 133 countries choose this university for their academic pursuits, and rightfully so – it is renowned for its professionalism and exceptional course offerings for 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 ways 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.
During the program you will enroll in 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. Apart from online, it offers students the opportunity to study in-person at four NYC locations. Yeshiva University has 11 graduate and undergraduate schools.
Early Childhood Education Program
Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women presents a pathway to become an early childhood educator by offering a major tailored to this field. The program equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to engage with young children and support their development.
There are two registered programs that the college offers: 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.
On top of the major, there is also a minor consisting of 18 credits. This minor is ideal for students who want to learn school psychology, secondary education, or speech therapy.
Students in this program will not only acquire the vital theoretical knowledge for their future careers, but also gain practical field experience. By enrolling, individuals will have the opportunity to apply their learning in actual classroom settings, garnering hands-on experience and understanding what it’s 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 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 as a private for-profit NYC college. The Bronx and New Rochelle campuses provide exceptional opportunities for students aiming to excel in their academic pursuits.
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 the 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 individuals 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, with top earner making over $90,000 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.