Early Childhood Education
(Birth -Grades 2)

As one of the premier teacher preparation institutions in the Northeast, The College of Saint Rose has played a fundamental role in the recent redesigning of the New York state teacher education curriculum. Members of the Saint Rose School of Education faculty have worked closely with the New York State Board of Regents in discovering the best ways to prepare future teachers for the challenging classrooms of the 21st century. They began by asking the question: what do the schools of the future need?

The schools of the future need teachers who are prepared to teach children with diverse needs, at various learning levels and in urban, suburban, rural and high-needs districts. As a Saint Rose graduate, you will be well prepared for reaching our nation's children through your creativity, knowledge of teaching methods and values-based education.

Ninety-six percent of Saint Rose education graduates passed the New York State Teacher Certification Exam, as most recently reported by the New York State Board of Regents.

THE SAINT ROSE DIFFERENCE
Early childhood education majors prepare for careers teaching children from birth through Grade 2 by studying a variety of topics ranging from language and learning in the classroom to the role of technology in teaching and learning. In addition to the major and liberal education requirements, early childhood education majors select a concentration in either biology, earth science, mathematics, Spanish, American studies, English/language arts, general science or social studies.

OUR MENTORING FACULTY
The School of Education faculty will guide you as you travel on your journey from student teacher to education professional. Each professor is a practitioner and informed scholar who has valuable classroom experience. They've been there, at the front of the class looking out at a sea of young faces, each child at a different learning level.

Saint Rose faculty members regularly publish and present at regional, state, national and international conferences, providing you with the opportunity to participate in research and exposing you to various resources for continued professional development.

Kappa Delta Pi
The School of Education holds a charter in Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society for educators-a prestigious organization to which many Saint Rose education professors belong. Students who are in the top 15-20 percent of their degree program and who are recommended by faculty are invited to membership in Kappa Delta Pi.

FIELD EXPERIENCE
The hands-on, field experience that students complete is a hallmark of the Saint Rose School of Education. Early childhood education field placements include early childhood and preschool programs, as well as elementary school classrooms for Kindergarten, first and second grades. In addition, students are placed in a variety of settings, including urban, suburban, rural and high-needs districts.

Since several courses include field experience requirements that range from five to 18 hours each, you will begin gaining observation and hands-on experience during your sophomore year. Therefore, you will complete more than 60 hours of fieldwork before you begin your student teaching experience.

During your senior year, you will complete two student teaching experiences:

• 7 1/2 weeks in a Pre-kindergarten or Kindergarten setting; and
• 7 1/2 weeks in a Grade 1 or Grade 2 classroom.

Each of the two student teaching experiences begins with an analysis of the culture of the school and community and a study of the students in the school and classroom, in regard to their diversity, abilities, experiential backgrounds, language proficiencies and special needs. This will assist you in your subsequent teaching and planning and make you better able to help students learn the required material.

FACILITIES
School of Education facilities include:

• Kenneth T. Lally Center for Technology in Teaching—consists of computer classrooms containing the most advanced hardware, software, and multimedia communications and presentation equipment to help students develop the necessary skills to provide technology instruction to children;
• Carl E. Touhey Forum—a venue with seating for 250 people and the capacity for streaming video, teleconferencing and other media necessary for panel discussions and lectures;
• Joy S. Emery Education and Clinical Services Center—a multi-disciplinary center providing services for preschool children through adults in the areas of speech and language, hearing, and learning disabilities that includes an audiology laboratory, seminar room and treatment rooms;
• Patricia Standish Education and Curriculum Library—houses instructional materials for preschool through grade 12, including software, videos, literature, tests and other hands-on materials; and
• Neil Hellman Library—contains more than 203,299 volumes, 825 periodical subscriptions and a collection of 282,304 microfilms. Membership in an online network provides access to materials from libraries nationwide through inter-library loan. The library is a wireless environment providing laptop computers that can be checked out from the circulation desk for use within the library.

CAREERS
As a Saint Rose early childhood education graduate, you will fill an ever increasing and important need to provide quality instruction and intervention to young children in New York state and throughout the country. According to the New York Department of Labor, hundreds of new preschool and kindergarten positions are expected to open during the next four years in the areas within New York state where Saint Rose graduates prefer to work. In addition, the College’s Career Center works closely with the School of Education to provide career services, including teacher job fairs and workshops, that have resulted in significant numbers of education graduates acquiring teaching positions throughout New York state and nationwide, since New York has reciprocal teacher certification agreements with 40 states.

GRADUATE STUDY
The bachelor's degree in early childhood education that you earn from Saint Rose will grant you initial certification in this field. However, in order to gain professional certification, you must earn a master's degree in early childhood education or a related field such as special education, reading, or elementary education.

Saint Rose offers 11 Master of Science in Education (M.S. in Ed.) degree programs. Many graduates choose to pursue their master's degrees here at Saint Rose with the faculty they have come to respect as mentors.

MODERATE PRICE AND AGGRESSIVE FINANCIAL AID
The College of Saint Rose has one of the lowest tuitions of all New York state private colleges and we offer a variety of scholarships, including multicultural and academic talent. More than 90% of our students receive several forms of financial aid.

96% of Saint Rose education graduates passed the New York State Teacher Certification Exam, as most recently reported by the New York State Board of Regents.

The Thelma P. Lally School of Education
The United States Department of Education predicts that our nation will be in need of more than one million teachers by 2010, due to the retirement of more than half of the current teacher work force. To accommodate the growing need for highly trained teachers across the country, The College of Saint Rose built the new Thelma P. Lally School of Education, completed in January 2003.

The Lally School o Education consists of classrooms, computer labs, offices, an education and curriculum library, and a communication disorders clinic. It also features the Carl E. Touhey Forum, a multimedia education forum that provides a focused and unique space for the campus as a whole. The Lally School of Education is a learning and teaching environment in which technology plays a critical role.

Saint Rose offers 11 Master of Science in Education (MS in Ed.) Degree programs. Many graduates choose to pursue their master's degrees here at Saint Rose with the experienced faculty they have come to respect as mentors.