The graduate program in Childhood Education leads to a master's degree and New York State initial certification in Childhood Education for grades 1 to 6. The program builds on the general education and liberal arts majors or concentrations that candidates acquired in their undergraduate educations and develops their understanding of child development, curriculum design, instructional practices, and the integration of technology in teaching and learning. The program's clinical component begins with field experiences in local schools linked to early program courses. It develops candidates' teaching skills though opportunities to observe good teaching, then to begin teaching one-on-one, with small groups, and then with a whole class. It culminates with a full semester of student teaching. Candidates are not expected to have an undergraduate major in education.

What the Childhood Education program offers you:

• Career preparation in a valued profession that makes a difference
• Eligibility for NYS certification as a teacher of Childhood Education, Grades 1-6
• Opportunities to nurture children's cognitive, social, emotional and physical development
• Guided experiences that develop effective instructional strategies with and without technology
• Development as a reflective practitioner, integrating learning theory with classroom practice
• Caring, creative learning environments with faculty committed to excellence in education

Certification Extensions to Middle School Level are also available. 

Changes to New York State Certification Exams May 2014

Candidates who have completed all requirements for initial certification on or before April 30, 2014 and who apply for certification on or before April 30, 2014, will need to pass the LAST (Liberal Arts and Sciences Test), the ATS-W (Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written), and the CST in the area of the certificate on or before April 30, 2014. Instead of meeting the old examination requirements, a candidate applying for certification on or before April 30, 2014 may achieve a satisfactory level of performance on the new set of examinations (edTPA, EAS, ALST, CST). Candidates will not be permitted to mix and match examinations from the old and new tests.

Candidates applying for certification on or after May 1, 2014 or candidates who applied for certification on or before April 30, 2014 but did not meet all the requirements for an initial certificate on or before April 30, 2014, will be required to pass the edTPA, the EAS (Educating All Students Test), the ALST (Academic Literacy Skills Test), and the CST.