Early Childhood Education
If you enjoy working with children and like the prospect of teaching them, you may be a candidate for an early childhood education degree. With this type of degree, you will play an influential role in the lives of young children who are just learning about life and have so much to gain by receiving proper instruction during their early years. You will have the opportunity of working with children up to eight years of age and helping to shape their young minds. In the next decade, there should be an increase in opportunities for early childhood education teachers, as older teachers will be retiring and leaving positions open that will need to be filled.
You can acquire a number of degrees in early childhood education. Below is a sampling of a few of them.
- Associate Degree: This degree requires two years to complete and will give you the basics in working with children and family members. You will learn about developing the curriculum, safety and child development issues. You will also have a chance to choose an area where you might want to specialize, such as special education. If you desire a teaching position in a school, you will need to take the next step and acquire a Bachelor Degree.
- Bachelor Degree: With this degree, you will be taking your instruction one level higher and advancing your education in the teaching of young children. You will be required to have a good grade point average in order to obtain your Bachelor Degree, which may be either a Bachelor of Art or Bachelor of Science. You will be instructed on human development, developmental theories, guidance and planning.
- Master’s Degree: If you are already a certified teacher and want to fine-tune your work performance in teaching, you will want to acquire a Master of Arts or Master of Science Degree. With the instruction that you will receive in this program, you will have leadership skills and can move on to obtain employment at a higher level. You will also have a better chance of advancement.
- Doctorate: A Doctorate Degree will provide you with all the instruction you will need in this field, as it is the highest degree you can obtain. It takes dedication and commitment to get a Doctorate but will be well worth all of the time and effort that is required. You will have many more job opportunities presented to you with a Doctorate Degree, and you also have more chances for advancement within the field.
With the proper training in early childhood education, you can find very rewarding work instructing young children and helping them to achieve goals that might only be possible with your assistance. The very early years of a child’s life are crucial in the development of the mind, and you will play an important role in helping that development to be as beneficial for the child as it can be.