Transition to Teaching - Early Childhood Education

The TTT - Early Childhood Education program is a graduate level, non-degree initial licensure certificate program structured to prepare candidates to apply subject matter expertise, assessment knowledge, and developmentally appropriate instructional practices to early learning environments in order to support the healthy development of young children (birth-age 8) and their families. This program contains all the course requirements needed to become an Early Childhood P-3 licensed teacher in Indiana. Field experiences and student teaching are required. Fifteen credits in this program can be applied to the Master of Science with a major in Early Childhood Teaching.

Upon completion of this program, candidates should be able to:

Exhibit professional dispositions, demonstrate moral decision-making, uphold ethical standards with all stakeholders; reflect Christ-like behavior as the foundation of work with families, young children, and communities.
Actively promote child development and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all children in child care, classroom, home, and community settings.
Create 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; honor diverse cultural values, language, and norms by encouraging a child’s learning connectedness to home.
Consider contextual factors, learning cycle choices, development, and environment to proactively determine appropriate setting and behavior management procedures and practices; Initiate and think professionally in a timely manner to address management concerns.
Design developmentally appropriate content-rich purposeful curriculum emphasizing the integration of topics and disciplines; Integrate academic standards, child development, impacting contextual factors and individual/group interests, needs, and learning styles.
Facilitate 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 design and 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).
Evaluate and implement 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, RTI, and differentiation practices.
Demonstrate skills in systematic and responsible observing, documenting, assessing, analyzing, and reporting data to support early learning.
Practice servant leadership philosophy and principles in approach to clinical and service experiences, serve by putting the needs of others first, sharing power, aspire to lead after trust and relations are earned and built, helping young children, families, and communities develop and perform as highly as possible.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must have:

Earned a baccalaureate or graduate degree from 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) with one of the following:
- Baccalaureate degree with a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale; or
- Both a baccalaureate degree with a GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.0 point scale, and five (5) years of professional experience in an education related field; or
- Both a baccalaureate degree and proof of passing Indiana’s approved content area examination(s) in the subject area that the individual intends to teach.
Proof of up-to-date TB test.
A signed Field Placement Requirement Notification form.
A criminal history background check that meets School of Integrated Learning and Development guidelines.
Submit a signed FERPA Release Form.

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 Early Childhood educators. Though candidates will be required to submit an initial background check that is acceptable to the university as a part of their application materials, that successful background report will only serve to gain admittance to that academic program. School corporations are governed by a locally elected Board of Trustees who set policy for their school corporation. All accepted candidates should understand that additional background checks at the candidate’s expense will most likely be required by school corporations 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

All Transition to Teaching - Early Childhood Education candidates will be required to provide passing scores for Indiana’s approved content area examination(s) based on the following schedule, or will be administratively withdrawn from the program:
- If scheduled for student teaching in September, testing is due the preceding April 1st.
- If scheduled for student teaching in January, testing is due the preceding September 1st.

Clinical Experience Requirements

All candidates must complete P-3 field experience throughout the program as well as a 14-week full time student teaching experience in a Preschool, if NAEYC accredited, or K-3 classroom.
All coursework prior to student teaching must be completed with a minimum grade of no less than "B-" in each course to be eligible to student teach.
All clinical placements will be made by the Office of Clinical Experiences unless otherwise outlined in course curriculum. Candidates are not to contact any school or attempt to secure their own student teaching assignment at any time.
Removal from a clinical experience may result in the candidate not passing the course and/or being permanently withdrawn from the program.

Completion Requirements

To successfully complete the Certificate Program, candidates must:

Complete all course requirements with a minimum GPA of 3.00 and no grade lower than a "B-."
Successfully complete all Clinical Experience requirements associated with the program.
Provide passing scores for all state required licensure content and pedagogy examinations.
Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a certificate.

Upon completion of the Transition to Teaching - Early Childhood Education program, candidates will be recommended for P-3 Educator Licensure in the state of Indiana. Candidates seeking licensure in states other than Indiana bear the responsibility to determine whether completion of the IWU Transition to Teaching - Early Childhood Education program will meet the academic and assessment requirements of the state in which licensure is sought.

TTT Early Childhood Education - Program of Study

Core Courses - Early Childhood Education

EDUT-514	Foundations in Early Childhood Development	3
EDUT-524	Parents, Families, and Community Partnerships	3
EDUT-532	Reading and Writing in Emergent Literacy	3
EDUT-542	The Science of Teaching Reading	3
EDUT-533	The Preschool Learning Environment	3
EDUT-534	Primary Grade Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Management	3
EDUT-544	Early Childhood Advocacy in Action	3
EDUT-582	Student Teaching in Early Childhood	3
Total Credit Hours:		24