Early Childhood (Level-Based) University of Michigan - Dearborn

Overview

This  Early Childhood (Level-Based) BA programme from  University of Michigan - Dearborn will enable you to teach in either a general early childhood education or special education classroom. Plus, graduates earn both a bachelor’s degree and faculty recommendation for the Michigan Elementary Standard Certificate.

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has revised Michigan’s teacher certification structure into 6 grade bands.  

CEHHS has submitted programme proposals for our Birth through Kindergarten (B–K), Prekindergarten through Grade 3 (Pre-K–3), and Grades 3–6 grade band programmes to the MDE. In addition, these same programmes are working through the internal university curriculum approval process. Once approved, students will be able to apply for admission to these grade band programmes starting in the Fall of 2022. Current elementary-certification students, and those admitted prior to Fall 2022, will have the opportunity to meet with an academic advisor to determine if they should remain in the current certification programme or switch to a new grade band programme.

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) programmes are guided by the philosophy, objectives and standards promulgated by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as well as those positions taken by the National Association of Early Childhood Educators (NAECTE) and the Standards of Quality for Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grades and other State Department of Education guidelines. The programme aims to not only meet these guidelines but often to exceed them.

The basic approach of the curriculum design for the ECE programme is based on the view, consistent with NAEYC and the State Department of Education, that programmes for young children must be developmentally appropriate taking into account the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children while respecting the needs of families with diverse sociocultural backgrounds.

The ECE programme is designed to provide graduates with a strong background in child development, family and societal studies, and the pedagogical knowledge and skills, which will enable them to plan and implement a developmentally appropriate curriculum, that is consistent with the most current thinking in early childhood education.

An essential component of the ECE programme is field experience at the UM-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC), the NAEYC accredited on-campus education and childcare center for children ages one year through kindergarten. The UM-Dearborn teacher education programme and the ECEC share the same philosophy and goals, that is, the preparation of high quality teachers and high quality educational experiences for young children.

Both programmes share a constructivist education philosophy based on the legacy of Piaget, Dewey and Vygotsky. This constructivist philosophy of the ECE programme is consistent with CEHHS' “Teaching for Understanding” model. In addition, the ECEC and the teacher prepa 

What will I Learn:

• Candidates for certification will be capable in their content specialty areas.
• Candidates for certification will be capable users of pedagogical knowledge.
• Candidates for certification will be reflective about their practice.