Early Childhood Education and Special Education

Our bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education and special education prepare students to apply for Rhode Island teacher certification in grades pre-kindergarten through 2 (early childhood education) or birth through grade 2 (early childhood and special education). Accredited by the Rhode Island Department of Education and grounded in a liberal arts tradition, our programs integrate a content-oriented and comprehensive study of teaching methods with practical field experience in diverse settings.

Make a Sustainable, Positive Impact

Beginning in their first year, our early childhood education majors visit local schools, introducing them to the diversity of students and families that comprise the communities in which they will work and initiating the process by which they can make a sustainable, positive impact. This “change impact” has long been a major emphasis of our curriculum and is created as our students build meaningful relationships within these communities.

Our special education program – which can only be taken as a double major with early childhood or elementary education – prepares majors to work with students impacted by mild and moderate special needs. Our students examine exceptionality and its relation to learning styles, teaching styles and service delivery models. Through comprehensive coursework and field experience, majors develop strategies that respond to students’ behavioral needs while effectively managing their classrooms and their teaching practice.

Our students benefit from the personalized guidance they receive from faculty and school professionals. Through extensive clinical placements, which culminate in two semesters of student teaching assignments, they develop skills that enable them to put theory into practice, observe cutting-edge methods and gain valuable experience in their discipline.