Early Childhood Education

Do you love working with young children and their families? Enroll today in Skagit Valley College’s Early Childhood Education program and prepare for a fulfilling career doing work that you enjoy.

Program Options

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This program prepares students for positions working with young children and families in a variety of early care and education settings. Courses meet the criteria addressed in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation.

Degree Maps

• Early Childhood Education, BAS
• Education, Early Childhood Education, A.Ed.
• Education, Early Childhood Education, AAS

Certificate Options

• Education, State Early Childhood Education Certificate
• Education, State Short Early Childhood Education, Administration Certificate
• Education, State Short Early Childhood Education, Family Child Care Certificate
• Education, State Short Early Childhood Education, General Certificate
• Education, State Short Early Childhood Education, Infant/Toddler Care Certificate
• Education, State Short Early Childhood Education, School Age Care Certificate
• Education, State Initial Early Childhood Education Micro-Certificate

Additional Programming

• Family Life
• Family Life Certificate

Education Paraprofessional

• Education Paraprofessional, A.Ed.

 

Certification/Licensure

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Early Childhood Education (ECE): All ECE certificates and degrees are designed with Washington State licensure requirements in mind. Guided by the standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has defined the requirements for “stackable certificates” that allow ECE professionals to add skills while working in the field. SVC certificates and associate degrees meet the NAYEC standards and the credit thresholds and requirements set by DCYF. Certificates meeting Washington DCYF standards will transfer to most, but not all, other states under the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement; however, several states offer an accelerated certification option rather than full reciprocity for ECE licensure. In addition, New Mexico, New York, and South Dakota have not signed the NASDTEC and have limited reciprocity. 
  
The Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Early Childhood Education prepares graduates to earn a Residency Teaching Certificate in Washington State with an endorsement in ECE. Admission to the program requires passage of the WEST-B test of basic skills or an alternate assessment approved by the Washington Professional Educators Standards Board. Furthermore, earning the content endorsement in ECE required to teach in Washington requires candidates to either:  

1. 1. pass the NES assessment of content knowledge in Early Childhood Education; or 
   2. demonstrate proficiency in the content areas by compiling a portfolio of teaching materials for Skagit Valley College’s case-by-case exception process.

Candidates generally take the NES assessment in their second year in the program. Furthermore, earning a Washington teaching certificate requires fingerprinting and successful passage of background checks from the Washington State Patrol and the FBI. Individuals who hold a Washington Residency Teaching Certificate may also teach in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Other states do not have direct reciprocity with Washington, but a Washington teaching certificate may be used for accelerated licensure in many states; please see the Education Commission’s 50 State Comparison for more detail.