Degree Overview: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Preschool Education
Majors Overview October 29, 2014Students in bachelor’s degree programs in early childhood education will be taught the disciplinary and pedagogical methods relevant to preschool children. Nutrition, curriculum-writing skills, and psychology will be taught to students.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree Programs in Preschool Education
Schools usually offer preschool education bachelor’s degrees as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Early Childhood Education formats aimed at preparing students to educate and care for pre-kindergarten children. Curriculum planning for various stages of child development is usually included with activities aimed at aiding motor skills, language development, social development, and emotional development.
Students can expect to become adept at engaging children with computers, artwork, movies, books, or games. Students enrolled in some programs are also trained in evaluating a child’s interests at an early development stage given that the child gets its first exposure to music, writing, creative arts, and the sciences in preschool.
The curriculum also includes classroom reading techniques aimed at keeping children engaged and the use of reading aimed at expanding children’s vocabularies and exposing them to different remedial concepts.
Educational Requirements
Admission criteria typically require incoming students to hold a GED certificate or a high school diploma before they are allowed to begin core coursework within a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
Those that seek to become preschool teachers need to hold a high school diploma, but those that seek higher pay and more job opportunities would be best served by earning a bachelor’s degree. Other admission requirements may include the submission of a personal statement, standardized test scores, and letters of recommendation.
Coursework
While didactic learning may dominate coursework, completion of one or more student teaching sessions is usually required of students enrolled in many programs. Core coursework may include these topic areas:
•Classroom and instructional management
•Special needs methodologies
•Health and nutrition
•Child psychology
•Early childhood assessment and evaluation
•Curriculum writing
Job and Wage Outlook
An above-average job growth rate of 25% has been predicted for preschool teachers over the 2010 – 2020 decade (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This growth is expected to be driven by the increasing importance attached to early-childhood education and a burgeoning population of preschool-aged kids. In May 2012, preschool teachers brought home an average annual wage of $27,130, with the wage ranging between $18,000 at the lowest level and $48,000 at the highest (BLS).
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