Early Childhood Community Education (B.A.)

This undergraduate program is offered by the School of Professional Studies.

Faculty

Faculty in the School of Education support Trinity’s early childhood education program.

Overview

In conjunction with the School of Education, the School of Professional Studies offers a B.A. in Early Childhood Community Education.

Trinity’s Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Community Education is the optimal degree program for scholars whose career goals do not require state teaching certification. The Community Education curriculum will combine education and humanities courses that will adequately prepare students for working in a variety of youth educational services that do not require state licensure.

At Trinity, the B.A. degree in Early Childhood Community Education will allow students to specialize in one of three areas that are exceptionally unique to the DC metropolitan area: Equity and Diversity, Organizations & Leadership, and Special Education.

Our courses provide a core of knowledge, skills and field-based experiences and include performance assessments designed to demonstrate the teacher’s ability to impact student learning.

For students who are interested in pursuing licensure as an early childhood teacher, Trinity also offers a B.A. degree in Early Childhood Education.

Program Requirements

Community Education majors must earn a minimum grade of “B” (3.0) or better in all courses taken as major requirements (both pre-acceptance major requirements courses and all courses taken as major requirements after acceptance to the program).

Pre-Major Requirements (24 credits)

EDCC 205
EDCC 207
EDCC 211
EDCC 213
EDCC 215
EDCC 220
EDCC 250
EDTE 232

Major Requirements (24 credits)

EDTE 301
EDCC 330
EDCC 340
EDTE 401
EDTE 421
EDTE 430
EDTE 432
EDTE 436

Experiential Courses (3 credits)

Students take a minimum of one internship:

EDCM 401
EDCM 402

Electives (9 credits)

Students will chose three courses in consultation with an academic advisor:

Equity and Justice

SOCY 261
SOCY 321
SOCY 323
SOCY 361

Organizations and Leadership

EDCM 473
EDCM 477
BADM 375
BADM 371

Special Education
EDCM 476
EDCM 421
EDCM 475

Field-Based Instruction

Teacher preparation at Trinity emphasizes field-based instruction that includes a series of mandated integrated field experiences and practicum experiences at different grade/age levels in a variety of school settings.

School districts, individual schools, and other service providers vary in their requirements for entering their site and observing students. Most schools and service providers require a Tuberculosis test (TB), fingerprinting, and a criminal background check prior to activities that bring the university candidate into working contact with clients/students.

Prior to observing or working with individuals or groups as required by courses (course assignments, field experience, practicum), a Trinity candidate must have communicated with the site, prior to their arrival, to ensure the candidate will have met any specific site prerequisites .

A sample course requiring field experience:

Program Policies

Advanced Placement: Credits earned through Advanced Placement Examinations may fulfill core curriculum for certification courses in cases where the student has earned a 4 or 5 on the examination and the credits have been reviewed by education faculty members.

CLEP Policy: Credits earned through C.L.E.P. Examinations may fulfill core curriculum for certification courses in cases where the student has earned a score that confers credit following the guidelines of the A.C.E. and the credits have been reviewed by education faculty members.

Attendance Policy: In all 300- and 400-level EDCC/EDTE courses, two late arrivals or early departures of 20 minutes or more constitute a single class absence, and any student with class absences or the equivalent that total more than 2 weeks’ worth of class meetings automatically fail the course. Faculty teaching EDCC/EDTE courses at the 200-level may adopt this policy in their syllabi as well, and faculty teaching EDCC/EDTE courses at any level may adopt a stricter policy in their syllabi.

Grades in Education Courses: Undergraduate students are required to earn a minimum grade of “B” (3.0) or better in all courses taken as major requirements (both pre-acceptance EDCC and EDTE courses and all courses taken as major requirements).

Pass/No Pass: Courses fulfilling the major, including core curriculum courses required for certification, may not be taken Pass/No Pass.

Student Assessment: Assessments of student proficiencies required of students in the major are further described on the School of Education page concerning the Student Assessment System.

Study Abroad: Courses taken through a study abroad program approved by Trinity may count toward general education courses required for certification, pending review and approval by education faculty and the faculty of the appropriate academic program. In general, education courses taken abroad will not count toward the major.

Experiential Credit Policy: Credits earned through experience may count toward general education courses required for certification, pending review and approval by education faculty and the faculty of the appropriate academic program. In general, experiential credits may not substitute for education courses counted toward the major.

Transfer Credits: Transfer credits may be awarded only after appropriate program review. Courses at the 400-level and above must be completed at Trinity. Courses taken as part of the School of Education program of study must be taken at Trinity.