AS - Early Childhood Education
Indiana Wesleyan University’s A.S. in Early Childhood Education program is a sixty (60) credit hour undergraduate program emphasizing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of an early childhood educator working with children from birth through age eight. The mission of the AS in Early Childhood Education program is to prepare candidates to meet the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and affective needs of children from birth through age eight. This program does not lead to teacher licensure.
This program provides a fundamental basis for students desiring to continue their education at IWU to complete a bachelor's degree in this discipline. The courses contained in this associate program will satisfy 24 hours out of the 30 general education hours required at the bachelor level and will also apply toward the 120-hour degree requirement.
Upon completion of the program, candidates should be able to:
- Exhibit the School of Integrated Learning and Development's professional dispositions by demonstrating moral decision-making, upholding ethical standards with all stakeholders, and reflecting Christ-like behavior as the foundation of work with families, young children, and communities.
- Actively support child development and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all children in childcare, classroom, home, and community settings.
- Collaborate to establish 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.
- Exhibit 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.
- Initiate and think professionally in a timely manner to support predetermined management policies and procedures; act professionally in regards to unforeseen management issues and concerns.
- Assist to deliver developmentally appropriate content-rich purposeful curriculum emphasizing the integration of topics and disciplines; support the integration of academic standards and child development impacting contextual factors and individual/group interests, needs, and learning styles.
- Exhibit the knowledge and understanding needed to support positive, respectful, and reciprocal relationship-based interactions as a foundation to support, empower, and engage young children and families.
- Apply constructivist (Vygotsky) theoretical framework into practice throughout academic disciplines to support inquiry-based, play-based, open-ended, project-based, and problem-based learning experiences.
- Participate 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, and friend).
- Demonstrate proficiency in executing a wide range of developmentally appropriate effective approaches, tools, resources, and strategies to meet the unique needs of all learners including technology, inquiry-based, project-based, problem-based, UDL, RTI, and differentiation practices.
- Demonstrate skills in systematic and responsible assessment skills including observing, documenting, and analyzing to support early learning.
- Practice servant leadership philosophy and principles in approach to clinical and service experiences by serving to put the needs of others first, sharing power, aspiring to lead after trust and relations are earned and built, and helping young children, families, and communities develop and perform as highly as possible.
Admission Requirements
The admission requirements for the associate degree programs offered through the College of Adult and Professional Studies are as follows:
- Proof of standard high school diploma 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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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.
- 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).
- 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 training, and/or health-related documentation will most likely be required before participating in clinical experiences.
- NOTE: Applicants need to be prepared to have vaccination records on hand, if requested by an outside facility, to prevent delay of any required Field Experiences. Since this is an “outside” of IWU request, it will be up to the student to be prepared.
Program Requirements
The AS in Early Childhood 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. 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 with an associate degree with a major in Early Childhood Education, the following requirements must be met:
- Completion of 60 semester hours.
- Completion of the core requirements with a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
- Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
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A minimum of "C" must be achieved in ECED-101, ECED-105, ECED-120, ECED-125, ECED-130, and ECED-135 or their equivalent courses.
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Completion of 24 hours of general education requirements as specified (General Education Requirements).
- Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.
