About the Competency-Based B.A. in Early Childhood Education
Use your prior education, work experience, and credentials to fast-track your way to a bachelor's degree in early childhood education.
The Competency-Based B.A. in Early Childhood Education (ECE) is geared toward professionals without a bachelor’s degree but are already working in the educational field. The program is aligned to the Gateways to Opportunity Early Childhood Education Credential - Level 5. This accelerated program is designed for students with an associate degree and a Gateways to Opportunity ECE Level 2 - 4. Students with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree in ECE from a Gateways to Opportunity Entitled college enter the program with junior-level status.
In this competency-based model, students follow their own unique "Learning Journeys," customized to each student based on their educational and career goals. Students can choose from the following Learning Journeys: a program that will prepare candidates to earn their Professional Educator's License (PEL) in Illinois, endorsed for grades PK-2, which will allow them to become the teacher of record in their classrooms; a program that will prepare candidates to be eligible for the Gateways to Opportunity Infant Toddler Credential; and a program that will prepare candidates to be eligible for the Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Director’s Credential. Students who choose the ECE licensure pathway can also complete coursework toward an endorsement on their license for English as a Second Language, Bilingual Education, or Special Education. Students advance through their Journeys by demonstrating mastery over concepts and skills integral to supporting children birth to age 8. Students can demonstrate mastery over particular competencies through summative assessments, transfer credit, and credit for prior learning creating an accessible and accelerated learning environment for working candidates.
The Competency-Based B.A. in Early Childhood Education is offered in an online format, making it ideal for working professionals.
The Learning Journeys available for this major are:
- ECE Licensure Competency-Based Minor
- Infant Toddler Studies Competency-Based Minor
- Early Childhood Administration Competency-Based Concentration
- ESL/Bilingual Education Competency-Based Minor
- Special Education Competency-Based Concentration
Students in the Competency-Based B.A. in Early Childhood Education major are eligible for the following endorsements/approvals:
- Gateways to Opportunity ECE Level 5 Credential
- Gateways to Opportunity ITC Level 5 Credential (with completion of the Infant Toddler Studies Competency-Based Minor)
- Gateways to Opportunity IDC Level 2 Credential (with completion of the Early Childhood Administration Competency-Based Concentration and submission of employment hours as a director to INCCRRA)
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) endorsement (with the completion of the Competency-Based ECE Licensure Learning Journey, and passage of the applicable, required, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) assessment);
- ESL/Bilingual Education endorsement (with the completion of the ECE Licensure and ESL/Bilingual Education Competency-Based Learning Journeys, and passage of the applicable ISBE required language proficiency exam (required only for learners seeking the Bilingual Endorsement));
- Learning Behavior Specialist 1 (LBS1) endorsement (with the completion of the ECE Licensure and Special Education Competency-Based Learning Journeys and passage of the applicable ISBE required assessment);
- ECE Special Education Approval (with the completion of the ECE Licensure and Special Education Competency-Based Learning Journeys).
What You'll Learn
In the Competency-Based B.A. in Early Childhood Education, you'll build a foundation in both pedagogical theory and hands-on teaching practice. You'll hone essential skills, including classroom management, curriculum-building, lesson-planning, presentation skills and more. Your faculty members are well-connected in the educational field, and our Career Bridge team is highly successful at matching teaching candidates with ideal roles.
The Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for the traditional Competency-Based B.A. in Early Childhood Education are as follows:
PLO 1. Use knowledge of self, students, curriculum content, and effective instruction to develop appropriate learning outcomes and design activities to meet diverse learner needs including
students with special needs and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
PLO 2. Develop a variety of assessments and explain how they will use them to anticipate varied ways students might perform, make accommodations, monitor student progress, and adjust and evaluate instruction.
PLO 3. Demonstrate respectful and responsive interactions with students that motivate, support, and advance students’ development and learning.
PLO 4. Establish a culture of appropriately high expectations for student learning and behavior and design a classroom environment that supports all students to be successful.
PLO 5. Persist in their efforts to engage all students in content learning through effective instructional discourse, use of appropriate technologies, ongoing performance monitoring,
flexibility, and adaptability to support students’ behavior and advance their learning.
PLO 6. Use knowledge of human development and learning to interpret a variety of assessments to inform their instruction and provide meaningful feedback.
PLO 7. Use feedback from a variety of stakeholders to develop meaningful professional learning goals and identify appropriate professional activities to continuously improve their practice.
PLO 8. Demonstrate the capacity to collaborate effectively and ethically with colleagues, families, and community members to promote positive and inclusive learning for all students.
This program is aligned to the Gateways to Opportunity ECE Level 5 and is aligned to the following competencies:
- All learning journeys cover the Gateways to Opportunity Competencies ECE Levels 2-5: CPD 1-10, FCR 1-7, HGD 1-6, HSW 1-8, IRE 1-7, OA 1-8, & PPD 1-10.
Minors and Concentrations:
- The Infant Toddler Studies Competency-Based Minor covers all competencies in the Gateways to Opportunity ITC Level 2 - 5 Credential: CPD 1 - 8, FCR 1-8, HGD 1 - 8, HSW 1-7, IRE 1-8, OA 1 - 6, & PPD 1-9.
- The Early Childhood Administration Competency-Based Concentration covers all competencies in the Gateways IDC Credential Levels 1 - 2: IDC LFM 1 - 4, IDC HRD 1 - 4, IDC MPR 1 -3, IDC POFM 1 - 3, IDC EP 1 - 10, IDC FP 1 - 2, IDC PPS 1 - 4, IDC LA 1 - 4, IDC OWC 1 - 5, & IDC T 1 - 3.
Career Outlook
Graduates with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education enter a job market in which they are very much in-demand. In the Greater Chicagoland Area, approximately 2,841 job openings are posted each year for preschool and kindergarten teachers.* Additionally, Illinois has one of the top five highest concentrations of jobs for preschool teachers in the country. Your faculty members are well-connected in the educational field, and our Career Bridge team is highly successful at matching teaching candidates with ideal roles.
In addition to becoming teachers, graduates with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education are also set up for the following fast-growing careers**:
Child Support Services, +16%
Community Service Manager, +18%
Special Education Teacher, +8%
Early Childhood Education Curriculum Coordinator, +11%
Child Care Center Program Director, +6%
Instructional Coordinator, +11%
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*Accd. to most recent EMSI Burning Glass Data
**Accd. to Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
