SUNY Potdam

Contact Person:
Deborah Conrad, Program Coordinator
208 Satterlee, (315) 267-2505 (conraddj@potsdam.edu)

Childhood/Early Childhood Education Major (Birth-Grade 6)

This dual certification program is our newest major, admitting its first students in Spring 2009.  This combined major is designed to allow students to earn an undergraduate degree leading to Initial certification in both the Childhood (Grades 1-6) and the Early Childhood levels (birth through grade 2). 

This major was created in response to feedback from schools in the region who needed teachers who were more broadly prepared than our current separate programs. This dual-certification program will increase employment opportunities for our graduates in elementary schools since they will be certified to teach Pre K-Grade 6 children. Integrating knowledge, skills, and field experiences across the Pre K-Grade 6 age span, this program is designed to prepare new teachers who are exceptionally well-equipped to respond to the needs of young children and to tackle the challenges found in today's education careers.

The BA Childhood/Early Childhood Education program has been designed to meet certification regulations of The New York State Education Department as well as the standards of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The program leads to recommendation for New York State Initial Certification in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) and Early Childhood Education (Birth- Grade 2). The Childhood Education and Early Childhood Education programs have been nationally recognized by the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Each course in the Childhood/Early Childhood Education major must be completed with a 2.0 or higher.  Students must maintain an overall GPA of a 2.5 and a GPA of 2.75 in their Education courses to be allowed to Student Teach.  (Note: General Education designators are indicated in parentheses.)

47 credit hours required.

Certification Requirements:

1. New York State Teacher Certification Exams required for Initial certification: LAST, ATS-W and CST (multi-subject) 
2. Fingerprinting Clearance
   

Arts and Sciences Concentration
64-66 credit hours, plus 4 PE activities. All courses  in  the arts and  sciences  concentration must be  completed with a 2.0 or higher.

Mathematics: (9 credit hours)
Students interested in the math specialization, major or minor, should contact the Department of Mathematics prior to registering for the following courses:

For students planning to pursue a science specialization in physics, PHYS101 College Physics is a recommended alternative to PHYS100 or CHEM125.

Note: If ML has been satisfied, 9 credits of liberal arts elective credits must be selected.

Specialization Areas:

All Childhood/Early Childhood Education majors must select one  of  the  following  Specialization Areas. Contact  the Department of the specialization area of your choice to declare, be assigned a specialization area adviser and select appropriate courses. Each course in the specialization area must be completed with a 2.0 or higher.

The GPA for the specialization area (including courses in the Arts and Sciences Concentration related to the specialization discipline) must be 2.5 or higher to be allowed to complete the Childhood / Early Childhood Education Program and enroll in student teaching.