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Don’t you wish kids could stay young forever? Earning
an Early
Childhood Education Degree means that you can work with
a constant stream of little ones, even as your own children
grow up. Early childhood refers to the very first stages of
a person’s life, generally from birth to age eight,
and early childhood educators are at the forefront of teaching,
caring for, and researching kids at their most crucial stage
of development.
Career Possibilities
Most graduates of early childhood education programs go on
to become educators in some way or another. Some work at daycare
centers as room leaders. Others teach various levels of pre-school,
kindergarten, or early elementary school classes. Still others
work in hybrid programs that combine classroom activities
with daycare services. Earning an MA in early childhood education
also allows for a more flexible, self-directed career as a
highly qualified baby-sitter or nanny. People with their own
small children at home sometimes choose to take this route
because it allows for more family time and even the possibility
to take the kids to work! At the highest career levels, a
master’s degree allows students to pursue careers as
administrators, school principals, curriculum developers,
and even researchers.
Personality Traits of Early Childhood Educators
First and foremost, early childhood education majors must
love children. Because most early childhood education careers
involve working in a very hands-on environment, these folks
must remain patient and loving through messy snack times,
temper tantrums, and potty training accidents. Early childhood
educators must also have a strong sense of play and the desire
to get down on the floor occasionally to push toy trucks around
a track. They tend to be calm about messes that result from
creative activities, like Play-doh in the carpet and finger
paint on the table. On the other hand, the best early childhood
educators know that all this loving and nurturing must be
tempered by the firmness of an authority figure. It’s
a difficult balance, but these are the folks who are trained
to do it better than anyone else.
Early Childhood Education Courses
Students pursuing a degree in early childhood education will
study child psychology and development to learn how children
perceive the world and acquire knowledge. They will also learn
how to teach very early math and literacy skills to become
skilled at introducing young children to numbers and reading.
In a broader sense, early childhood education majors will
learn how to plan all aspects of curriculum related to introducing
kids to their first school experiences. Finally, students
will learn how to evaluate and assess young children for developmental
disabilities and impairments that might affect their physical,
emotional, and intellectual growth.
Career Outlook
The career outlook for child care workers is very good, with
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a 15.5% growth
for all early childhood education-related careers through
2018. Preschool and kindergarten teachers will make up the
largest component of this growth, with a predicted 22.5% increase
in positions available, thus emphasizing the importance of
earning an advanced degree or certification in this field.
Find out which accredited online
colleges offer an Early
Childhood Education Degree to get started on your new
career today!
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