Optional birth-kindergarten education concentration Non-teaching certification
The optional non-teaching certification in Birth through Kindergarten Education provides a course of study in management and leadership skills needed to effectively administer an early childhood program. The target audience for this program is comprised of current early childcare program operators, and directors and assistant directors of childcare centers and homebased programs. However, the focus and variety of the courses offered could potentially attract others in the field that have supervisory or managerial positions such as preschool owners, Head Start and Smart Start component coordinators, and others who work with early childhood programs.
The program curriculum is based on the premise that, in addition to administering a program, effective administrators must have knowledge of how young children grow and develop and how to guide them in their development. Therefore, directors need a solid base in the areas of child development, curriculum, literacy, family systems, assessment, social and cultural diversity, and professional ethics. This program offers courses in these areas to provide for acquisition of these core concepts. The management courses will facilitate development of essential competencies in management and administration, including staff supervision, accounting, marketing, program planning/evaluation, leadership, advocacy, and technology.
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate administrative skills and competencies in leadership, program planning and evaluation, rules and regulations for early childhood programs, financial management, staff and organizational management, public relations, and community outreach. Students who successfully complete the program will be eligible to apply for the North Carolina Childhood Administration Credential from the Division of Child Development.
This is an optional degree in birth-kindergarten education. Students who wish to receive teacher certification must select a program that leads to teacher certification and follow the guidelines for admissions into the teacher education programs.
Description
The optional non-teaching certification concentration in Birth through Kindergarten Education leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. The major requires a total of 126 semester hours, including 40 semester hours of general education core, 30 semester hours of course work related to leadership and administration, and 56 semester hours, including coursework in birth-kindergarten education, special education, sociology, nursing, reading, and physical education.
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