Young children learn by playing, solving problems and exploring. Teaching children birth through age 8 and younger requires a unique skill set, knowledge base and approach. Earning a Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom certificate from the University of Central Missouri prepares you to create developmentally appropriate learning environments and curricula to support early learning. Using your own classroom as a practicum experience, you’ll complete this certificate with engaging experiences that enhance your teaching and career goals.
Whether you’re a current assistant or lead teacher in an early learning setting, an Elementary Education major or earning your bachelor’s degree in another area, you can build your early childhood education skills to become a more effective teacher.
Apply credits from your undergraduate certificate toward a bachelor’s degree
If you’re already teaching in a classroom, committing to a degree program can be challenging. Our Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom certificate is one of three UCM Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs that allow you to earn an additional credential and apply earned credits toward our ECE Bachelor of Science in Education. Other certificates include Understanding the Child and Program and Community Partnerships in Early Childhood Education. Earn one — or all three.
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Aligned to NAEYC Standards 4 and 5
ECE program accredited by CAEP
#34 in the U.S. for non-trad students
1 of 3 UCM early childhood certificates
Gain real-world experience in your own classroom
Top 6% Most Popular Colleges in Ed
UCM’s Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom certificate gives you the knowledge you need to effectively teach young children aged birth through 8 years. You’ll gain a better understanding of the types of curricula and assessments that engage young students and help them grow and learn more effectively.
Some of the classes you may take include:
Through these and other classes, you’ll deepen your understanding and teaching practices for creating positive learning environments as well as apply teaching strategies in your classroom to help all children build strong language and literacy skills.
All courses for the Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom undergraduate certificate are taught in Lee’s Summit at our Missouri Innovation Campus, just 30 minutes from Kansas City.
As part of your UCM Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom certificate, you’ll have ample opportunities to put what you learn into practice for valuable experience teaching young children and learning from other teachers in the field:
This undergraduate certificate shows employers that you can effectively engage young children, develop positive classroom experiences and evaluate early learning. Whether you’re already teaching in a classroom or aspire to earn your bachelor’s degree, this ECE certificate is a valuable tool to help you advance your career — or prepare you for a new one. The skills you learn prepare you to work in a variety of settings. These include:
Learn more about jobs in early childhood education
Use the tool below to learn about the job outlook and types of career paths in the early childhood education teaching field.
At the University of Central Missouri, we believe higher education should be within reach for all students. For those earning a certificate along with a UCM degree, in addition to university scholarships, we offer loans, grants and other options to help you affordably finance your college education. Beyond our general scholarship opportunities, UCM offers several scholarships specifically for Early Childhood Education undergraduates, including:
Learn more about program-specific scholarships by using the .
Take your degree further.
Apply credits from your Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom certificate towards one of UCM’s related bachelor’s degrees:
Make yourself more marketable.
Broaden your instructional knowledge to include children aged birth to 8 years while you complete your bachelor’s degree. If you’re already working towards your bachelor’s degree, you might be interested in completing one of the following minors:
Explore programs related to teaching in the early childhood classroom.
You can “stack” your Early Childhood Education certificates to progressively build up your knowledge while earning credits toward a bachelor’s degree. Consider completing these two related certificates offered at UCM:
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