Mar 28, 2024  
2013-2014 Catalog 
    
2013-2014 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Early Childhood Education [8005] ‡


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Bachelor of Science

(120 Credit Hours)

Program Director

Dr. Kathryn Stuckey
941-363-7265 Lakewood Ranch
941-408-1300, ext. 61412 Venice
stuckek@scf.edu

Program Description and Goal

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (with emphasis in birth through age 4 teacher certification) Program is a unique program that is designed for students seeking employment in the field of child care and children’s services. The program fulfills the legal requirements being implemented for Head Start teachers and directors, the requirements included in the Florida Statutes regarding Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) teachers, and the point system for the child care center certification process promoted by Florida’s Office of Early Learning (OEL) under the Department of Education (DOE) and the Early Learning Coalitions (ELC) throughout the state. The program prepares students to be highly qualified teachers (including VPK and Head Start) and managers or administrators of programs. The degree prepares participants for teacher certification as well as equips them to meet the requirements for workplace retention or hiring within a high-quality setting for this age group.

Admission Requirements

  1. A 2.0 GPA on a scale of 4.0;
  2. Completion of at least 45 hours. Included in this must be   and   (or a course at that same or higher level).
  3. Successful completion of at least 50 percent of the prerequisite courses (with a grade of C or better).

Graduation Requirements


  1. Meet foreign language requirement.
  2. Successfully complete the general education and program courses listed below with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

General Education Courses: 36 Credit Hours


General education courses from Areas I - V. 

Lower/Upper Level Electives: 9 Credit Hours


 Any A.A. elective over and above A.A. general education requirements. To meet the requirement of A.A. elective, any course that has (A.A.) after the course title in the catalog description.

Foreign Language Requirement:


Students must have completed Florida’s foreign language requirement prior to the completion of the bachelor’s degree. Students may meet this competency by:

  • successful completion of two years of a single foreign language while in high school (official high school transcripts must be submitted to educational records), or
  • successful completion of two semesters (6-8 credit hours) of a single foreign language in college (or through corresponding College Level Examination Program CLEP exams), or
  • validation of foreign language competence for languages not available through CLEP as deemed appropriate by the vice president of baccalaureate programs.

Separate Application


‡ Degrees/programs will require a separate application and acceptance notification from the specific department before enrollment in the desired program.

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