Become a Certified Teacher: Specializations in Infants, Toddlers and Early Childhood Education with Illinois Type 04 Certification Preparation

Field Experiences

The students of Early Childhood Education benefit from different experiences in the field where they can apply learned knowledge in actual classroom situations.

Fieldwork includes observation of and participation with:

• Infants and toddlers
• Pre-primary-aged children (ages 3 and 4)
• Primary-aged children (kindergarten through third grade)

All students in the Early Childhood Education program will benefit from hands-on skills and experience they will learn in actual classrooms.

Clinical Practice for Certification

Along with work in the field, certification-track students will also be required to participate in clinical practices. This experience allows our students to gain the skills and expertise needed to properly teach children aged from birth through age 8, adequate for the Illinois Type 04 Certificate. In addition to the experience gained through the clinical practicum, students will also learn via and online clinical practice seminar.

Since Kendall's clinical practice and fieldwork requirements meet the needs of the State, the program's format is flexible and helps working students to complete all requirements. Those who are teaching in a pre-primary environment are eligible to complete the particular clinical practice requirements in their own classrooms.

Your interactions with the faculty members of the Early Childhood Education curriculum, and the opportunity to work with other students, are what will put you on the path to success in this program. When you earn your degree from an accredited college, like Kendall, the professionalism that it will add to your resume will greatly enhance your position in the job market.

Become a Certified Teacher

B.A. in Early Childhood Education with Illinois Type 04 Certification Preparation

Students seeking the B.A. in Early Childhood Education with Illinois Type 04 Certification will participate in real world training as student teachers in both pre-primary and primary settings.

You can work with children from newborns to age eight and teach in the public school system from pre-school through third grade as soon as you have obtained an Illinois Type 04 Certificate.

Concentrations Special Education

The four courses in Special Education help the student to work with special needs children up to age six years. As some students are working towards becoming a teacher with Type 04 Certification, this course work has been designed to fulfill the requirements needed to obtain Special Education Approval for a Type 04 Certificate.

Here are some of the Concentration Required Courses:

• EDU 393 Screening & Assessment of Young Children with Special Needs (4)
• EDU 391 Teaching Young Children with Special Needs (4)
• EDU 394 Teaming, Collaborating, Communicating: Resources for Families (4)

Infants and Toddlers

In the Infant/Toddlers concentration, the four courses help prepare teacher candidates for work they will do with infants, toddlers and their families. Every course meets the requirements of Illinois State Board of Education Birth to Three Program Standards and prepares professionals to work in the field, effectively.

The Concentration Required Courses comprise:

• EDU 305 Quality Programs for Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families (4)
• EDU 308 Infant Screening & Assessment (4)
• EDU 307 Infant, Family & Cultural Studies (4)

BA Early Childhood Education

The BA in Early Childhood Education, that doesn't offer a diploma, is for people who want to have knowledge about this area but don't want to be a teacher in the public education field. Students who aim to work with children of a variety of ages from 0 to 8 and in any number of varied early childhood education settings are the intended audience for the program.

The opportunity for professional growth from the beginning of the course is offered by Kendal's innovative learning model. The teacher candidates learn about the core concepts and find out ways to integrate learning into their work with young children and families.