B.A. in Early Childhood
Education (Birth-3)

Students in the early childhood and elementary program will be able to work toward a General and Special Education endorsement (ZS). For ZS endorsement, you will earn a major that will lead to the Early Childhood Endorsement on the Elementary Teaching Certificate in the State of Michigan. As a ZS endorsed teacher, you will be able to teach in early childhood classrooms, inclusive early childhood classrooms and early childhood special education classrooms.

The early childhood education program reflects our commitment to developing students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in five distinct yet interconnected areas.

Specialized Knowledge

Students will demonstrate knowledge of and proficiency in the terminology, theories, concepts, practices and skills specific to the field of education.

• Demonstrate knowledge of and proficiency in discipline-specific pedagogy.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of educational theory.
• Develop a specialized knowledge of diverse learners.

Applied Knowledge and Collaborative Learning

Students will exhibit competency in applying your knowledge in instructional planning, classroom management and soft skills in a classroom setting.

• Plan and implement learning experiences that accommodate and meet the needs of diverse learners.
• Demonstrate effective implementation of instructional theory and pedagogy.
• Assess students’ current competency of knowledge and skills.

Intellectual Skills

Students will demonstrate your ability to integrate both traditional and non-traditional cognitive skills, including analytical inquiry, information literacy, quantitative fluency and communicative fluency.

Civic and Global Learning

Students will demonstrate intercultural competence in addressing civic, social, environmental and economic issues.

Biblical Worldview Integration

Students will articulate a Christ-centered worldview and its personal, professional and communal embodiment through Christian virtues.