Early Childhood (ECE) FAQ

Application and admission to the ECE program occurs during your last semester of your sophomore year. Upon acceptance, you have 4 semesters to complete the ECE program. The 4 semester program must be completed in the proper sequence .The first two semesters consist of various required courses. Although some courses can be taken during either of these two semesters, some must only be taken during the 1st semester as prerequisites for courses that will be taken during the 2nd semester (see MAP for a list of all required courses) . Upon successful completion of these 2 semesters, you will be allowed to begin the 3rd semester which is referred to as the cohort semester which includes taking critical methods courses on campus as well as being placed in public school classrooms to apply the methods you are learning. Upon successful completion of the cohort or 3rd semester, you will be allowed to do your student teaching or internship if applicable.  Upon successful completion of student teaching or an internship, you will be qualified to graduate and receive your ECE teaching license.

The 3rd semester of the program is an important step as you begin to apply the knowledge and methods in actual public school classrooms. You will enroll in critical method courses which will address teaching strategies in math, literacy, science, social studies, assessment, planning, and management. You will also take a senior seminar course that addresses education and religion. You will take these courses with the same group or cohort of students. The first 6 weeks of the semester, you will be on campus attending these courses. Beginning the 7th week of the semester, you will be placed in a primary grade classes (1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade). For the remaining 8 weeks of the semester, you will attend this classroom Monday thru Wednesday applying the strategies and methods you are learning in the methods courses which you will continue to take on Thursdays and Fridays of the semester. The classroom or field experience will involve working closely with the classroom teacher in learning how to manage a classroom as well as creating and implementing appropriate lesson plans. You will be observed by your classroom teacher as well as a university supervisor who will provide feedback and evaluations on your teaching, planning, and classroom management To successfully complete the cohort semester, you must pass all the methods course with a C- or higher, as well as receiving passing evaluations on your classroom experience from the mentor teacher and supervisor.

Student teaching begins your 4th and final semester of the program. To receive an ECE teaching license, you must successfully complete 2 blocks of student teaching. One block must be in a preschool or kindergarten setting and one block must be in a primary grade (1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade) setting. During each block you will have be the lead teacher for 2 weeks. You will receive feedback and evaluations from the classroom teacher and a university supervisor who will observe you on a weekly basis. Successful completion of student teaching requires receiving passing evaluations on your classroom experience from the teacher and supervisor. Refer to the Field Services policy handbook for more details.

Classrooms placements for your cohort semester and student teaching will be  in any of the schools in the 5 partnership school districts along the Wasatch Front (Nebo, Provo, Alpine, Wasatch, and Jordan). Placements are also made at the Child and Family Laboratory ( BYU Preschool and Kindergarten in the JFSB)programs. Although extenuating circumstances will be considered when you are placed, you must be able and willing to go to any of the schools in these districts.

Yes! ECE students can do internships and should consider this possibility early in the program if not before. If you are interested , you must apply to the 4 semester program so that you are doing your cohort semester during the winter semester. During the cohort semester, students wanting to do internships must apply and be interviewed. If an internship is offered, it will begin the following fall semester. To receive an ECE teaching license, you must successfully complete 2 blocks of student teaching. One block must be in a preschool or kindergarten setting and one block must be in a primary grade (1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade) setting. An internship, although a year long will meet the requirements of one block. Thus, students doing an internship must complete a spring or summer block of student teaching before or after their internship in order to meet all the criteria for receiving an ECE teaching license. Refer to the Field Services policy handbook for more details.

The assessment system focuses on data collection and analysis of major assessments at four critical transition points (gateways) established for the teacher preparation program.

1.   Entry/Admissions       

2.   Pre-clinical                                         

3.   Clinical/Exit                                         

4.   Alumni

Transition points identify stages in the program in which candidates are expected to develop a level of competency in the standards identified in the conceptual framework. The performances of all candidates enrolled in a program are assessed using the major assessments identified with each transition point. Criteria have been established at each transition point to determine if the candidate is prepared to proceed to the next stage of the program. Should the candidate fail to meet the requirements, program policies outline possible consequences.

For a detailed listing of assessments at each transition point, click here.

An ECE license allows you to teach in Kindergarten through the Third Grade. An El Ed license allows you to teach in Grades 1-6. Although Utah does not require a license to teach Preschool children, the courses you take in the ECE program will meet licensing requirements in other states.

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Exploratory Experience requires you to spend a minimum of 25 hours in an early childhood settings (private/public preschool, kindergarten, and/or primary grades). Your experience in these settings will include observing the teaching and learning of children, interviewing teachers and administrators, serving in schools, and extending your interests to related agencies and organizations. You will submit a log and report summarizing your experience. This experience is designed to: 

• Help you explore the teaching profession in a variety of settings;
• Allow you to evaluate your decision to pursue a career in Early Childhood Education;
• Provide the ECE Admission Committee information (together with other components of your application) to make a decision regarding your admission into the Early Childhood Education Program.

For more detailed information, go to http://education.byu.edu/ted/early_childhood.html