INTRODUCTION
Introduction for Students
Accuracy of Information
Majors/Programs
Empire State College
Program/Major Descriptions
Selecting a College Program
Helpful Search Hints
Introduction for Staff of Colleges and Universities
Introduction for students and other people interested in obtaining information on educational programs in New York State –
This database has been created to provide easy access to information regarding college and university programs for people interested in careers in early childhood and school-age programs. An exhaustive review of colleges and universities in New York State was conducted to gather and verify this information. The database allows you to search for educational programs based on the:
- type of degree (i.e., associates, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate);
- majors or programs offered (e.g., early childhood education (birth to 2nd grade), arts education, child and family studies;
- certificate or credential programs (e.g., Child Development Associate Credential, Children’s Program Administrator Credential);
- county; or
- name of institution.
Each record includes contact information and allows you to move easily to a particular college or university website by clicking on the link that is included in each record.
When using this information there are several points that you should consider including:
Every attempt has been made to ensure that the information provided is accurate. However, colleges and universities are constantly changing and, despite our attempts to provide and maintain accurate information, you should verify the information found in this database. That usually can be done easily by checking the information on the college website or by contacting the admissions office.
This database contains 28 different programs or majors. In some cases, the names of the programs are generic names that we developed to make it easier for people searching the database to obtain listing of similar degree programs. For example, early childhood education (birth to grade 2) is the generic name for early childhood education programs. The typical name for these majors in associate’s degree program is early childhood, while bachelor’s and master’s programs use early childhood education (birth to grade 2). Child and Family Policy Studies is also a generic name. Many schools in the database use this name for their major, while other schools like Cornell (Human Development) use other names.
All of the programs included in the database prepare students for careers in early childhood and school-age programs, each program or major is focused on specific areas of interest within the larger field. The following chart lists the variety of programs/majors that are included in the database and provides general information as to their purpose. It is important that you contact individual colleges to determine if the program they offer will meet your needs.
Empire State College provides degree, certificate and credential programs through several regional centers and units and distance learning options. Therefore, if you do a search for college programs/majors by county, Empire State College will appear for any county that you choose. However, when you go to the details on the college only the College’s central office address and phone number appears. You can obtain information on the closest regional center or unit or how to obtain a degree or certificate through a distance learning option by going to the college’s website of contacting the Admissions Office in Saratoga Springs.
| Program/Major | Designed for people interested in careers in: |
|---|---|
| Early Childhood Education (Birth to 2nd Grade) | providing educational programming to children birth to eight years of age in school or early childhood settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in classrooms serving typically developing children. However, some programs are intended for students who have no plans to continue their education. |
| Early Childhood Special Education (Birth to 2nd Grade) | providing educational programming to children birth to eight years of age in school or early childhood settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in classrooms serving children with disabilities. |
| Inclusive Early Childhood Education (Birth to 2nd Grade) | providing educational programming to children birth to eight years of age, including those with disabilities, in school or early childhood program settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in early childhood and/or early childhood special education. |
| Early Childhood Special Education - Dual Degree (Birth to 2nd Grade) | providing educational programming to children birth to eight years of age, including those with disabilities, in school or early childhood program settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in early childhood and early childhood special education. |
| Childhood Education (1st-6th Grade) | providing educational programming to children eight to thirteen years of age in school, early childhood or school-age program settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in classrooms serving typically developing children. |
| Childhood Special Education (1st-6th Grade) | providing educational programming to children eight to thirteen years of age in school, early childhood or school-age program settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in classrooms serving children with disabilities. |
| Inclusive Childhood Education (1st-6th Grade) | providing educational programming to children eight to thirteen years of age, including those with disabilities, in school, early childhood or school-age program settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in childhood and/or childhood special education. |
| Childhood Special Education – Dual Degree (1st-6th Grade) | providing educational programming to children eight to thirteen years of age, including those with disabilities, in school, early childhood or school-age program settings. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in childhood and childhood special education. |
| Urban Early Childhood Education (Birth to 2nd Grade) | providing educational programming to children birth to eight years of age in school or early childhood program settings with an urban environmental perspective. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in early childhood education |
| Urban Early Childhood Special Education (Birth to 2nd Grade) | providing educational programming to children birth to eight years of age in school or early childhood program settings with an urban environmental perspective. These programs generally lead to teacher certification in early childhood special education. |
| Art Education (all grades) | providing art education to children 4 to 21 years of age. These programs lead to certification in art education |
| Administration and Supervision | administering educational programs for children and youth. These programs lead to certification in administration and supervision. |
| Bilingual Education Extension | can be added to a degree leading to certification. This extension is designed for people teaching or administering education programs that include children whose native language is not English. |
| Literacy Education (Birth to 6th Grade) | providing literacy education to children birth to thirteen years of age. These programs lead to certification in literacy education. |
| Teacher of English of Speakers of Other Languages | providing literacy education to children birth to thirteen years of age. These programs lead to certification in teaching children whose native language is not English. |
| Deaf and Hearing Impaired | providing educational programming to children four to twenty-one years of age who are either deaf or hearing impaired in school or early childhood program settings. These programs lead to teacher certification for deaf and hearing impaired. |
| Child and Family Studies | providing services to children and their families typically in non-school settings. These programs generally do not lead to teacher certification. |
| Other | Several colleges offer programs or majors that are relevant to people interested in careers in early childhood and school-age care that did not fit in any of the other categories. |
Once you have identified a program or programs that you are interested in attending, you need to make sure that the program(s) you are applying to is designed to help you meet your goals. There are many college programs to choose from and each are designed to assist students achieve one or more career goals. It is critical that you are absolutely sure that the program you apply to is the best choice for your particular purpose. There are several issues to consider:
Associate’s degrees - If you are applying for an associate’s degree, you need to know whether the program is designed for students who are planning to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program or whether it is designed to prepare students for immediate employment. Programs that are designed for transferring students generally include more liberal arts courses to allow for easy transfer of credits, while programs designed for students who are planning to work after obtaining their degree have more courses in their major.
Articulation/Joint Registration - If you eventually plan to transfer, that can be made easier and you will risk less loss of credits if the college you are going to initially has an articulation agreement or joint registration arrangement with the college to which you would like to transfer.
Certification - If you are hoping to become certified to teach in public schools, it is important that you make sure that the degree program has been established to prepare students for the certification you hope to obtain. Do not just assume that all programs with the same name lead to certification. Ask your college to specify which programs lead to certification.
Delivery Options/Special Services - Many colleges offer a range of delivery options and special services designed to assist students successfully obtain their degree. These include: on-line courses, evening classes, summer sessions, child care, career planning offices, academic remediation services and so forth. Check with the admissions office, the college or university website, or college catalogue to see what specific services and supports might be available to assist you.
Colleges - To get a listing of all colleges included in the database just press search without making any selections.
Majors - To get a listing of all the colleges that offer a particular major (i.e., early childhood birth –2nd grade) just select that major and nothing else and press search.
Certificates - To get a listing of the colleges offering a particular certificate just select the certificate or credential program (i.e., Infant/Toddler Care and Education Credential) you are interested in and nothing else and press search.
Introduction for faculty and staff of colleges and universities looking to verify information about their programs -
We welcome you to review the information about your college and university and to contact us if you find any errors in your listing. Every effort has been made to obtain and verify the information obtained in this database. In many, but not all cases colleges and universities were contacted to verify the information. However, given the scope of the database, we recognize that mistakes and oversights have occurred. Your assistance in accurately providing information about your college or university is greatly appreciated.