Early childhood is defined as education that occurs before the age of 8. During this time, children go through their most rapid growth and development. During this time, their brains develop faster than at any other point in their lives. Therefore, proper education is crucial. The foundation for their social skills, self-esteem, perception of the world, and moral outlook is established during these years—the development of cognitive skills. Therefore, early childhood education is highly recommended for the healthy development of children. With an Early Childhood Education degree, you’ll learn how to teach, influence, and care for young children.
Childhood Education VS Education Degree?
Are you considering a career in teaching? You might be wondering what age group will be best. This is a common struggle aspiring educators face, as they’re unsure where they’ll fit in. Although both of these focus on teaching, they differ in many ways. The choice generally comes down to your interests and your goals.
What are The Main Differences?
To decide which one is better suited to your needs, you’ll need to know how they differ from one another.
The ages you’ll teach:
This is the most apparent difference between the two. A Degree in Education could have you teaching students anywhere from 5 to 18 depending on which phase you choose. When you are pursuing an early childhood education degree, you’ll be focused on much younger children. Childhood educators often only work with newborns, infants, and toddlers.
Because of the different age groups, you’ll also be teaching in a diverse classroom setting. If you’re an Educator, you’ll most probably work in a private or public school. Childhood education providers often travel between preschools, daycares, and aftercare programs. Other childhood education providers work privately for families to ensure one-on-one learning.
The Requirements:
Study time:
The amount of learning it would take to land the job you’d like differs in either of these fields as each educational setting has different requirements. A bachelor’s degree is required if you’re looking at teaching older students in a school setting. Some teachers are also required to have a graduate degree as well.
In early childhood education, these requirements vary depending on the school or your role in the classroom. For example, if you’re an assistant teacher in an ECE (Early Childhood Education) classroom, you’ll only require an associate degree. The associate degree in ECE is also required for any private infant, toddler, and preschool teacher. However, if you’d like to work at a public school, a bachelor’s degree in ECE would be required.
Skills:
Each of these sectors requires different skills. The children are in various phases of their development and might need more or less help to complete certain tasks. If you’re looking at a Bachelor’s degree in education, you’ll need to complete lesson plans and be comfortable teaching basic subjects. These subjects are Mathematics, Science, English, and History. You will be taught these skills and how to apply them at each stage of childhood development. This differs from ECE, where you’ll be more focused on Early Childhood Development.
An Early Childhood educator needs to be knowledgeable of early childhood development. They require skills in case management, first aid, childcare, record-keeping, and the basic foundation of learning: numbers, letters, shapes, and colors. The classes you take to study for early childhood education will cover these things. In addition, you’ll learn about child development, including social, emotional, language, and literacy development, as well as how it’s relevant to a child’s growth.
Where are your interests?
If you have a genuine interest in teaching subjects such as math, science, history, and language, a bachelor’s degree in education is the best option for you. As these subjects are of interest, you’ll be committed to making the lessons and learning process fun. In addition, you’ll have older students who allow you to engage with learners, hear opinions and challenge them daily.
A career in early childhood education is better suited for those interested in growing the minds of young children through different methods. These methods include art, storytelling, music, and the basic building blocks of academia. ECE curriculums are often easily adapted, as young children often learn better through their exploring and interests. ECE is best suited for individuals who are comfortable with feeding, soothing, and holding young children.
How Can I Obtain My Early Childhood Education Degree?
If you’ve decided that early childhood education is for you, you might be wondering how to move forward. ECE certification is most commonly earned through a bachelor’s degree program, with the major being in early childhood education. One of the biggest responsibilities of an early childhood education provider is providing a safe and fun environment for students to learn in.
How To Become an Early Childhood Educator:
- By completing a teacher preparation program approved by the board of education in your area. By completing a student teaching practicum in an early childhood program.By taking the state-required tests to become an early childhood educator.
- By applying by the board of education for a teaching certificate or license in your state.
- You can now start applying to early childhood educator positions.
What Will I Be Able to Do After Obtaining My Degree?
Let’s look at how you can obtain a Childhood Education Degree?
Listed below are some of the most recommended early childhood education jobs. You’ll also find the educational requirements and a summary of your responsibilities in each section.
Preschool Teacher:
You’ll be able to work at daycare services, state, local or private schools, private homes, and religious institutes. You’ll require an Associate’s degree in early childhood education for this position.
As a preschool teacher, you’ll be tasked with administering lessons associated with early childhood education. These lessons need to bring students up to their developmental standards. Your daily activities will include:
- Working with young children individually or in a group setting.
- Tracking the progress of each student.
- Planning educational and entertaining activities.
You can use the child’s curiosity and desire to play as part of their learning process.
Kindergarten Teacher:
You’ll be able to work at public and private elementary schools, daycare services, and religious-based schools. You’ll require a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education for this position.
Your responsibilities as a kindergarten teacher are the same as those of a preschool teacher. Emotional and social lessons play a larger role in this stage of education. Students are no longer in only one classroom, like in preschool, but move around to different areas throughout the day. Kindergarten students require a higher level of supervision because children now change between classes and lunchrooms.
Nanny:
You’ll be working within private homes, and your qualifications will depend on what is required by your employer.
Your responsibilities will vary depending on the family you work for. For example, you’ll be required to provide attentive and warm care to the children. You might also be required to transport children to and from events.
Childcare centre director:
You can work at daycare services, state, local or private schools, religious institutes, etc. You’ll require a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education for this position.
Your main role will be managing an early childhood education center. You’ll be in charge of supervising teachers and other employees at the center, allocating funds, influencing the daily curricula, communicating with parents, and ensuring that the center is up to health and safety standards.
Being a Childhood Educator
If you have a passion for young children, early childhood education is a career that can directly benefit their development. It’s very rewarding to know that you play a role in shaping young minds.
