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APS.BSENL - Bachelor of Science - Major in Early Childhood Education (Non-Licensure Track)

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Program Description

The Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Early Childhood Education (Non-Licensure Track) is an undergraduate lock-step program emphasizing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of an early childhood educator. This program also includes a minor in Reading. The B.S. with a major in Early Childhood Education program prepares adults to meet the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of children from birth through age eight. Upon completion of the program, candidates will demonstrate the abilities and responsibilities associated with leadership in the early childhood profession.

Although this program prepares candidates to work in various Early Childhood settings, it does not lead to recommendation for licensure. Candidates will participate in multiple field experiences throughout this program. Field experiences occur in a variety of early learning environments and include increasingly interactive experiences in serving learning, volunteering, and teaching. Through field experiences, candidates gain real-world experience working with children, families, and communities.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, candidates will be able to:

  • Exhibit School of Learning and Development professional dispositions, demonstrating moral decision-making, upholds ethical standards with all stakeholders; reflecting Christ-like behavior as the foundation of work with families, young children, and communities. (NAEYC 6.a, 6.b, & 6.c) 

  • Actively promote child development and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all children in child care, classroom, home, and community settings, (NAEYC 1.a, 1.b, & 1.c) 

  • Create safe, healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments, where young children have access to quality learning opportunities that inspire and set the stage for growth across the developmental domains. (NAEYC 1.c) 

  • Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of diverse family and community characteristics; honoring diverse cultural values, language, and norms by encouraging a child's learning connectedness to home. (NAEYC 1.b) 

  • Consider contextual factors, learning cycle choices, development, and environment to proactively determine appropriate setting and behavior management procedures and practices; Initiating and thinking professionally in a timely manner to address management concerns. (NAEYC 5.c & 6.c) 

  • Design developmentally appropriate content-rich purposeful curriculum emphasizing the integration of topics and disciplines; Integrating academic standards, child development, impacting contextual factors and individual/group interests, needs, learning styles. (NAEYC 5.a) 

  • Facilitate positive, respectful, and reciprocal relationship-based interactions as a foundation to support, empower, and engage young children and families. (NAEYC 2.a, 2.b, & 2.c) 

  • Apply constructivist (Vygotsky) theoretical framework into practice throughout academic disciplines to design and support inquiry-based, play-based, open-ended, project-based, and problem-based learning experiences. (NAEYC 4.a, 4.b, 4.c, & 5.b) 

  • Participate in informed advocacy for young children, families, and the early childhood profession through multiple types of advocacy (citizen, issue-based, self-group, peer, statutory, family & friend). (NAEYC 3.d, 6.d, & 6.e) 

  • Evaluate and implement developmentally appropriate effective approaches when selecting a wide variety of tools, resources, and strategies to meet the unique needs of all learners including: technology, inquiry-based, project based, problem-based, UDL, RI, differentiation practices. (NAEYC 3.c, 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 5.c, & 6.c) 

  • Demonstrate skills in systematic and responsible observing, documenting, assessing, analyzing, and reporting data to support early learning. (NAEYC 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.d, & 5.c) 

  • Practice servant leadership philosophy and principles in approach to clinical and service experiences, serving by putting the needs of others first, sharing power, aspiring to lead after trust and relations are earned and built, helping young children, families, and communities develop and perform as highly as possible. . (NAEYC 2.b, 6.a, 7.a, 7.b)

Admissions Requirements for this Program

  • Proof of high school graduation or GED certification.

  • Submit a signed FERPA Release Form.

  • Proof of up-to-date TB test.  

  • A signed Field Placement Requirement Notification form.

  • Applicants who do not hold a valid license in the field of education will be required to submit a criminal history background check conducted at the applicant's expense.  Admission to and/or progression in designated programs will be based upon criteria set in the Criminal History Background Check Admissions Policy.

  • Original transcripts from all previous college or university study at a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

  • NOTE: Applicants should be aware that Indiana State Legislation has mandated that expanded background checks are required for those working with students in Indiana schools. Applicants will also be required to adhere to any additional State Mandates required for educators. Though candidates will be required to submit an initial background check and other documentation that is acceptable to the university as part of their application materials, those successful submissions, will only serve to gain admittance to that academic program. All accepted candidates should understand, that at the candidate’s expense, additional background checks, proof of mandated trainings, and/or health related documentation will most likely be required before participating in clinical experiences.

  • Prior completion of at least 48 transferable credit hours is required before the candidate is eligible to start the major courses. 

  • NOTE: Applicants need to be prepared to have vaccination records on hand, if requested by an outside facility, to prevent delay of any required Field Experiences. Since this is an “outside” of IWU request, it will be up to the student to be prepared.

Additional Requirements for this Program

Program Requirements

  • All BS Early Childhood Non-Licensure Program students desiring to move to the Licensure Track must meet all admission requirements from the Licensure Track and must contact the Advising Team to have this requirement verified and completed by the end of their ECED-325 course. Candidates not completing this requirement by the end of ECED-325 will not have the option to move to the Licensure Track at a later date.

  • The BS-Early Childhood Non-Licensure Program is a lock-step program.  Students who are unable to complete an ECED course or who receive an unsatisfactory grade for their specific program will be allowed to repeat that course with another group of students if arrangements are made with the Registration Change Counselor and the School of Integrated Learning and Development.  Tuition and fees will be charged for repeating the course.

Clinical Experience Requirements

  • Field experiences are required for several courses in this program.  However, a student teaching experience is not included in this non-licensure track.

  • Removal from any field experience may result in the candidate being permanently withdrawn from the program and being issued a failing grade.

Graduation Requirements for this Program

  • Completion of 120 credit hours.

  • Completion of the required prerequisite and major courses with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 2.75.

  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher.

  • Completion of 30 hours of general education requirements as specified (CAPS - General Education Requirements).

  • Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.