BS - Early Childhood Education (Non-licensure Track)
Indiana Wesleyan University's Bachelor of Science Early Childhood Education (Non-Licensure Track) program is an undergraduate lock-step program emphasizing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of an early childhood educator. This program also includes a minor in Reading. The B.S. in Early Childhood Education program prepares adults to meet the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of children from birth through age eight. Upon completion of the program, candidates will demonstrate the abilities and responsibilities associated with leadership in the early childhood profession.
Although this program prepares candidates to work in various Early Childhood settings, it does not lead to recommendation for licensure. Candidates will participate in multiple field experiences throughout this program. Field experiences occur in a variety of early learning environments and include increasingly interactive experiences in serving learning, volunteering, and teaching. Through field experiences, candidates gain real-world experience working with children, families, and communities.
Upon completion of the program, candidates will demonstrate the ability to:
- Exhibiting School of Learning and Development professional dispositions, demonstrating moral decision-making, upholds ethical standards with all stakeholders; reflecting Christ-like behavior as the foundation of work with families, young children, and communities. (NAEYC 6.a, 6.b, & 6.c)
- Actively promoting child development and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all children in child care, classroom, home, and community settings, (NAEYC 1.a, 1.b, & 1.c)
- Creating safe, healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments, where young children have access to quality learning opportunities that inspire and set the stage for growth across the developmental domains. (NAEYC 1.c)
- Exhibiting knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of diverse family and community characteristics; honoring diverse cultural values, language, and norms by encouraging a child's learning connectedness to home. (NAEYC 1.b)
- Considering contextual factors, learning cycle choices, development, and environment to proactively determine appropriate setting and behavior management procedures and practices; Initiating and thinking professionally in a timely manner to address management concerns. (NAEYC 5.c & 6.c)
- Designing developmentally appropriate content-rich purposeful curriculum emphasizing the integration of topics and disciplines; Integrating academic standards, child development, impacting contextual factors and individual/group interests, needs, learning styles. (NAEYC 5.a)
- Facilitating positive, respectful, and reciprocal relationship-based interactions as a foundation to support, empower, and engage young children and families. (NAEYC 2.a, 2.b, & 2.c)
- Applying constructivist (Vygotsky) theoretical framework into practice throughout academic disciplines to design and support inquiry-based, play-based, open-ended, project-based, and problem-based learning experiences. (NAEYC 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, & 5.b)
- Participating in informed advocacy for young children, families, and the early childhood profession through multiple types of advocacy (citizen, issue-based, self-group, peer, statutory, family & friend). (NAEYC 3.d, 6.d, & 6.e)
- Evaluating and implementing developmentally appropriate effective approaches when selecting a wide variety of tools, resources, and strategies to meet the unique needs of all learners including: technology, inquiry-based, project based, problem-based, UDL, RI, differentiation practices. (NAEYC 3.c, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.c, & 6.c)
- Demonstrating skills in systematic and responsible observing, documenting, assessing, analyzing, and reporting data to support early learning. (NAEYC 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.d, & 5.c)
- Practicing servant leadership philosophy and principles in approach to clinical and service experiences, serving by putting the needs of others first, sharing power, aspiring to lead after trust and relations are earned and built, helping young children, families, and communities develop and perform as highly as possible. . (NAEYC 2.b, 6.a, 7.a, 7.b)
Admission Requirements
All applicants to the non-licensure track must have:
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Proof of high school graduation or GED certification.
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Submit a signed FERPA Release Form.
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Proof of up-to-date TB test.
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Most current vaccination record.
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A signed Field Placement Requirement Notification form.
- Applicants who do not hold a valid license in the field of education will be required to submit a criminal history background check conducted at the applicant's expense. Admission to and/or progression in designated programs will be based upon criteria set in the Criminal History Background Check Admissions Policy.
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Original transcripts from all previous college or university study at a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
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NOTE: Applicants should be aware that Indiana State Legislation has mandated that expanded background checks are required for those working with students in Indiana schools. Applicants will also be required to adhere to any additional State Mandates required for educators. Though candidates will be required to submit an initial background check and other documentation that is acceptable to the university as part of their application materials, those successful submissions, will only serve to gain admittance to that academic program. All accepted candidates should understand, that at the candidate’s expense, additional background checks, proof of mandated trainings, and/or health related documentation will most likely be required before participating in clinical experiences.
- Prior completion of at least 48 transferable credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university or an institution accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education is required before the candidate is eligible to start a bachelor core program.
Program Requirements
- All BS Early Childhood Non-Licensure Program students desiring to move to the Licensure Track must meet all admission requirements from the Licensure Track and must contact the Advising Team to have this requirement verified and completed by the end of their ECED-325 course. Candidates not completing this requirement by the end of ECED-325 will not have the option to move to the Licensure Track at a later date.
- The BS-Early Childhood Non-Licensure Program is a lock-step program. Students who are unable to complete an ECED course or who receive an unsatisfactory grade for their specific program will be allowed to repeat that course with another group of students if arrangements are made with the Registration Change Counselor and the School of Integrated Learning and Development. Tuition and fees will be charged for repeating the course.
Clinical Experience Requirements
- Field experiences are required for several courses in this program. However, a student teaching experience is not included in this non-licensure track.
- Removal from any field experience may result in the candidate being permanently withdrawn from the program and being issued a failing grade.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education, the following requirements must be met:
- Completion of 120 credit hours.
- Completion of the required prerequisite and core courses with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 2.75.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher.
- Completion of 30 hours of general education requirements as specified (General Education Requirements).
- Provide passing scores for all required state licensure content and pedagogy examinations.
- Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.
Early Childhood Education (BS) - Non-Licensure Track - Program of Study
Prerequisites
Candidates may be enrolled in the Early Childhood Education (BS) Non-Licensure Track Program of Study, but must complete the following courses prior to starting the Core Courses.
| ECED-101 | Foundations of Early Childhood | 3 |
| ECED-105 | Child Growth and Development | 3 |
| ECED-125 | Current Issues and Trends in Early Childhood | 3 |
| ECED-130 | Parents, Families, and Communities As Partners | 3 |
| ECED-135 | Emergent Literacy | 3 |
Core Courses
| ECED-305 | Educational Psychology for Early Learners | 3 |
| ECED-301 | Infant/Toddler Care-on-Demand Environments | 3 |
| ECED-302 | Infant/Toddler Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment | 3 |
| ECED-303 | Literature Focused Preschool Environments | 3 |
| ECED-304 | Preschool Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment | 3 |
| ECED-322 | Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| ECED-325 | Foundations of Reading and Language Structure | 3 |
| ECED-332 | Instructional Tools for the Teaching of Reading | 3 |
| ECED-331 | Literacy in the Primary Grades | 3 |
| ECED-401 | STEM Concepts in the Primary Grades | 3 |
| ECED-405 | Social Studies and Fine Arts in the Primary Grades | 3 |
| ECED-411 | Classroom Management in the Primary Grades | 3 |
| ECED-422 | Advocacy Internship in Early Childhood | 3 |
Minor in Reading
The minor in Reading is comprised of five previously completed prerequisite (ECED-135) and core (ECED-303, ECED-325, ECED-331, ECED-332) courses.
| ECED-135 | Emergent Literacy | 3 |
| ECED-303 | Literature Focused Preschool Environments | 3 |
| ECED-325 | Foundations of Reading and Language Structure | 3 |
| ECED-331 | Literacy in the Primary Grades | 3 |
| ECED-332 | Instructional Tools for the Teaching of Reading | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 54 |
