Early Childhood Education

• Converse Education graduates are routinely recognized as being the best in their profession. They have earned honors such as: Presidential Educator of the Year, South Carolina Teacher of the Year, National Marine Educator of the Year, The Order of the Palmetto (South Carolina’s highest civilian honor for extraordinary lifetime achievement and service to the state and nation), and the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award;
• You will observe and assist teachers in local schools;
• You will participate in student teaching and one-on-one clinicals, giving you first-hand experience with students in pre-kindergarten through third grade;
• Our low student-to-faculty ratio guarantees all the individual attention you need to achieve your goals;
• The majority of Education students have a job within six months of graduation; many students have secured positions prior to graduation;
• Converse students consistently score high on the Praxis test; in fact, many of our students score more than 20 points above average.

Clinical Experience

You will participate in clinical experiences at the elementary school level during assignments in conjunction with your major courses. This practicum experience allows you to work with children in grades pre-kindergarten through third grade who have various interests, skills, and abilities.

Student Teaching

During your last term at Converse you’ll complete a 60-day student teaching requirement. Once you successfully complete the PRAXIS II exams in your particular area of specialty, as well as the Principles of Learning and Teaching exam, you will be eligible for placement in student teaching.

You will work closely with Converse faculty throughout student teaching and will receive visits and guidance from your college supervising teacher. Our goal is for you to be confident and fully prepared to teach in your own classroom after graduation.

The early childhood major combines observations of young children, instructional methodology, program planning for pre-kindergarten through third grade children, as well as information about children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.

Our curriculum is aligned with professional standards and meets all the requirements for national approval by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Upon completion of the degree you’ll be eligible for pre-kindergarten through third grade certification in South Carolina as well as certification reciprocity with many other states.

Majors in early childhood must also complete two sequential, incremental clinicals. In the first clinical you will observe and work with an individual child on reading instruction. During the second clinical you will work in an early childhood setting and plan, organize, and implement instruction with groups of young children.

Sample Courses

• Behavior and Development of the Young Child
• Early Childhood Curriculum
• Reading and Language Arts in Early Childhood Classrooms
• Methods and Materials for Early Childhood Education

View BA in Early Childhood Education requirements

Course Offerings & Academic Catalogs

What are Early Childhood Education alumni doing?

Converse-trained Early Childhood education teachers are working in public and private schools throughout South Carolina and beyond. Our program is the proven standard for supplying classroom-ready, fully certified early childhood teachers with experience in current classroom issues, child development, and instructional methods and technology appropriate for young children.