The Early Childhood Education program provides experiences that prepare students to become effective teachers for children from birth through grade three. If you are interested in young children and teaching, you may wish to consider early childhood education as a career. Current trends indicate employment opportunities for early childhood graduates have increased significantly. Salaries for graduates are in the $25,000 to $30,000 range, depending on the geographic area.

The program is approved by the Missouri State Board of Education and accredited by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and NCATE.

The Early Childhood Education baccalaureate degree program requires satisfactory completion of approximately 134 to 139 hours. The program includes course work that will satisfy the university’s general education requirements. This sequence is designed to provide a basic content background in subject-matter areas related to early childhood programs. Professional education courses are sequenced to provide both study in the university setting and practical experience in early childhood educational settings.

A high school student considering early childhood teaching as a career is encouraged to become actively involved with children in preschool through grade three in a variety of settings such as child care centers, public schools or summer day camps. Membership in the Future Educators of America (FEA) is strongly encouraged if the club is sponsored by the high school. In addition, a selection of high school courses to provide strong academic preparations in English, mathematics, science and social studies is recommended.

To be admitted to the Teacher Education Program at Missouri State requires completion of 45 college hours; a 2.75 GPA; a valid ACT score (if required by DESE); completion of ELE 302, and COM 115 with a C or higher; and a score of 265 on all components of the state’s general competency test (the C-BASE); Missouri Family Care Registry check and approval of PEC. In addition, the Early Childhood Program has a selective admission policy. See the Missouri State Catalog for more information. 

The following is a representative list of the early childhood education courses offered. Please consult the Missouri State Catalog online at www.missouristate.edu/catalog for course descriptions and specific degree requirements.

• ELE 302: Introduction to Elementary Education
• KIN 100: Fitness for Living
• ECE 401: Curriculum in Early Childhood Education
• ECE 402: Assessing Young Children

Faculty members are actively involved in teaching, research and service activities at the local, state and national levels. While the faculty provides advisement assistance to the undergraduate students, a central advisement office is located in Hill Hall. Students are encouraged to gain initial advisement from this center.

The College of Education has adopted as its theme for teacher education the "Teacher As Reflective Practitioner." This theme is addressed in all courses and activities in the professional sequence.

The university is fortunate to have Greenwood Laboratory School located on campus. Greenwood, a K-12 laboratory school, provides students in Early Childhood Education with first-hand experiences in observing and working with children. In addition, students also work with young children in the university’s Child Development Center and in public school early childhood settings. The technology laboratories located in Hill Hall represent the most recent innovations in instructional technology available for use by Early Childhood Education majors.

A student majoring in Early Childhood Education has the opportunity to become involved in a variety of student organizations. For example, Kappa Delta Pi is an honorary organization for Education majors; the Student National Education Association and the Student Missouri State Teachers Association are professional organizations for Education majors; and the National Association for the Education of Young Children has young children as its focus. These organizations provide students with the opportunity for professional growth and the opportunity to meet students with similar interests. An important service provided by the university and the department pertains to helping students secure teaching positions upon graduation. Career Services takes an active role in helping students secure teaching positions upon graduation

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