UHCL offers new degree in Early Childhood Care and Education

February 16, 2017 | Jean Rudnicki

Addressing the need for high quality preparation programs for professionals in early childhood care and education, the University of Houston-Clear Lake will begin offering the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Care and Education in fall 2017. Emphasizing childcare from birth through age 5, the new four-year bachelor’s degree will provide both the knowledge and the field experiences necessary for students to become leaders in the early childhood care workforce.

“We’re proud to step out as leaders in supporting the professionalizing of the early care and education sector,” says College of Education Dean Mark D. Shermis. “We recognize the importance of providing a high quality program that emphasizes birth through age 5. Those are critical years filled with rapid development and learning which lays the groundwork for future learning.”

The new degree is UHCL’s second degree to emphasize the importance of professional education in early childhood care and education. The university introduced its Bachelor of Applied Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Early Childhood Education in 2009. The Bachelor of Applied Science degree is a 2 + 2 program that works in conjunction with area community colleges. It is designed for individuals who have completed an associate degree in early childhood at a community college. It encourages the student to continue coursework towards a bachelor’s degree.

UHCL’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Care and Education is a four-year degree designed for students entering UHCL as freshmen, or for individuals who have an associate degree or college credit in areas other than early childhood education. The new degree also provides students with the opportunity to include a minor with their degree, if they choose, and prepares them for advanced degrees.

Courses offered through the new degree program on infants and toddlers, math, science, literacy, cultural awareness, program leadership, assessment, child guidance, linguistic diversity, special needs and many more aimed at providing knowledge and the field experiences necessary to be leaders in the early care and education workforce.

To find out more about the degree and how to be a part of it, call 281-283-3600 or email education@uhcl.edu.

 

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