Early Childhood Education (with licensure), M.Ed.

Early Childhood Education

Specialization leading to a Education, M.Ed.  degree.

(A minimum of 30 credits total plus exit requirement)

This specialization provides advanced study in early childhood education, a field that has an enormous impact on children, families and society. Students may complete a master’s degree, or a teaching license in early childhood education (PK-3), or both. It includes University and field-based experiences that focus on the development and education of children from ages three to eight, including typically developing children and those with mild and moderate disabilities.

While primarily intended to meet the professional development needs of practicing early childhood educators, a qualified applicant who possesses a baccalaureate degree in another teaching field or related discipline may apply required coursework toward a resident educator license in early childhood. Eligibility for this license requires 1) additional coursework beyond that needed for the master’s degree, 2) an electronic portfolio containing required artifacts, meeting specific criteria at checkpoints, and demonstrating proficiency in the college outcomes (http://www.csuohio.edu/cehs/students/taskstream/taskstream.html) and the standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (http://www.naeyc.org/ncate/standards), see below, and 3) successful completion of Pearson OAE exams.

Built around a common College Core, specialized course work in early childhood education is integrated with required offerings in educational research, social foundations, and human development as outlined below. Taken as a whole, the curriculum focuses on the development of teaching and learning practices associated with high-quality early childhood education for young children representing diverse cultures and abilities. These practices respect all children and provide them with equal opportunity to develop and learn emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually.

For further information, contact the Department of Teacher Education at (216) 687-4600.

Internship Eligibility Requirements for Teacher Licensure

Eligibility for internship placement requires that student interns have satisfactorily met all of the conditions noted below. If these conditions are not completely fulfilled, field placement will be denied and the student will be administratively withdrawn from relevant coursework. For questions, please contact the Office of Field Services (Julka Hall 187; 216-687-4616) or the Education Student Services Center (Julka Hall 170; 216-687-4625).

1. At the time of placement application, all student interns must have an approved Program of Study on file with the Education Student Services Center (Julka Hall 170) and have signed the Verification of Good Moral Character Statement on that form. In addition, Early Childhood majors must supply Field Services (JH 187) with three acceptable letters of recommendation attesting to their good moral character and suitability for any pre-K teaching assignment.
    
2. Interns must have achieved and maintained an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0 for all 400 and-above-level work required for licensure. No more than six credits of 400-level-or-above course work with a grade of C may be used to meet licensure requirements. Coursework may be repeated with the approval of the COEHS Advising Office; however, it should be noted that repeating a graduate course does not eliminate any earlier recorded grade for that course on your transcript or its continued inclusion in the calculation of Hours Earned, Quality Points, and GPA.
    
3. All interns must submit a negative TB (tuberculosis) test report (Mantoux version) to the Office of Field Services. If seeking licensure in Early Childhood or as an Intervention Specialist in Special Education (Early Childhood, Mild/Moderate or Moderate/Intensive), documentation must also be submitted verifying full immunization against Hepatitis B (three shots). In addition, candidates for Early Childhood licensure must supply proof of having satisfactorily passed a physical examination.
    
4. Interns who do not already hold an Ohio teaching license or certificate must complete a civilian background fingerprint check and submit a valid copy of a Clearance Report from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to Field Services. Electronic fingerprinting and BCI checks can now be obtained by appointment in the ESSC (Julka Hall 170) with prior fee payment at the Office of Treasury Services (MC 115).
    
5. Separate completion and submission of an online application (https://coehsplace.csuohio.edu/ofs/index.cfm) for practicum or student teaching placement is needed. Applications for summer and fall placements must be received by February 15; those for spring placements must be received by September 15. Summer placements are made at the discretion of program faculty and may be limited and/or restricted. Please note that in addition to submitting an application, students must ultimately register for practicum and student teaching.
    
6. Placement requires satisfactory completion of all specified prerequisite coursework. (Please see your program checklist for a complete list of these courses.) Where mandated by specific programs, ongoing development of a professional portfolio may also be required to confirm satisfactory progress in achieving program outcomes before internship placement.
    
7. Eligibility for the final internship further requires that students have taken all required state licensure examinations prior to the start of student teaching. Score reports must be submitted to the Office of Field Services.