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Early Childhood Education

The early childhood education program prepares you for the State of Illinois Professional Educator's License in Early Childhood Education, which qualifies you to teach children from birth through second grade. It also includes an English as a Second Language endorsement and Early Childhood Special Education Approval. These additional credentials license you to teach English language learners and pre-K students with special needs.

Preparing You For Success

You participate in classroom field experiences your first year, then you gain additional field experiences your sophomore and junior years. These prepare you for the senior year student teaching experience. Bradley faculty and your supervising teachers are valuable mentors throughout the process. 

Additionally, Bradley is the first university in Illinois to embed the ESL endorsement within its early childhood, elementary, middle school and special education degrees. That experience enhances your value to school districts as English Language Learners are one of the fastest-growing demographics in Illinois schools. 

The Department of Education, Counseling, and Leadership is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education. It also is a member of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The early childhood education program is nationally recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

By the time you graduate, your experiences include:

  • Professional development and licensure in early childhood education
  • More than 100 hours in classroom settings for the ESL endorsement
  • More than 600 hours of field experiences and student teaching in local classrooms
  • Instruction and mentorship from faculty who taught on six continents, published 30 books on education and served in educational leadership at state and national levels
  • Research opportunities with faculty
  • Use of educational technology such as Smart Boards, virtual reality, 3-D printing and wearable devices

Making Your Mark

Bradley’s early childhood education program completers and graduates boast a 100 percent pass rate on Illinois licensure tests, including the national edTPA portfolio evaluation. That success means you can enter the teaching profession or graduate school after graduation. As an educator, you can consider future graduate studies in curriculum and instruction or other fields.

Major Requirements

Courses for a Balanced Curriculum - 9 hrs.

  • ETE 260: Children's Literature - 0 hrs.
  • ETE 107: Conceptualizing Math for Teachers I - 0 hrs.
  • ETE 108: Conceptualizing Math for Teachers II - 0 hrs.
  • Grammar/Linguistics (choose one)
    • ENG 311 - 3 hrs.
    • ENG 312 - 3 hrs.
  • Geography (choose one)
    • HIS 336 - 3 hrs.
    • HIS 337 - 3 hrs.
  • THE 335: Theatre for Children and Creative Dramatics - 3 hrs.

Professional Education Requirements - 80 hrs.

  • ETE 100: Technology Applications - 1 hr.
  • ETE 107: Conceptualizing Math for Teachers I - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 108: Conceptualizing Math for Teachers II - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 115: The History of Education in the United States - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 116: Field Experience - Schools and Schooling - 1 hr.
  • ETE 120: Early Childhood Professional Roles and Responsibilities - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 194: Physical Education in the P-6 Schools - 1 hr.
  • ETE 196: Fine Arts in the P-6 Schools - 2 hrs.
  • ETE 210: Human Development from Birth to Young Adulthood - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 211: Human Development from Birth to Young Adulthood and Effective Teaching Field Experience - 1 hr.
  • ETE 215: Strategies for Effective Teaching - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 234: Language Development - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 235: Methods of Teaching English Language Learners - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 236: Assessment of English Language Learners - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 237: Practicum for Teaching English Learners I - 1 hr.
  • ETE 240: Practicum for Teaching English Learners II - 2 hrs.
  • ETE 260: Children's Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 270: Physical Development and Health - 1 hr.
  • ETE 280: Exploring Diversity: Learners, Families and Communities - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 304: Early Childhood Novice Teaching Experience - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 310: Teacher Performance Assessment - 1 hr.
  • ETE 322: Emergent Literacy: Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 324: Early Childhood Special Education Methods - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 328: Early Childhood Methods - 6 hrs.
  • ETE 345: Guiding Learners: Creating Safe, Inclusive Learning Environments - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 443: Early Childhood Assessment - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 485: Early Childhood Profession: Reflective Practices - 3 hrs.
  • ETE 497: Student Teaching in Early Childhood - 12 hrs.