Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Studies

The early care and education field is moving toward a more highly educated work force, particularly for staff in nationally accredited programs and Head Start programs. Empire State College offers coursework that prepares you to work in the early care and education profession. Degree programs include both an associate and a bachelor’s degree with concentrations in early childhood or related fields.

Credentials
In addition to degree programs, the college provides you with the academic preparation required for the Children’s Program Administrator Credential and the Infant-Toddler Care and Education Credential offered by the New York State Association for the Education of Young Children (NYSAEYC). College-level coursework is just one of the requirements for these credentials. Call NYSAEYC at 518 867-3517 or visit their web site (www.nysaeyc.org) for more detailed information.

Children’s Program Administrator Credential of New York State
Empire State College offers a number of courses as part of the college coursework required to apply for the credential. These courses, or their equivalent, are available face-to-face and online:
• Administering Children’s Programs
• Financial Planning and Management
• Operations Management in Children’s Programs
• External Environment and Children’s Programs
• Beneficial Programs for Children and Families
• Seminar in Children’s Program Administration

A sampling of the courses or studies available to you at Empire State College include:
• Infant-Toddler Behavior and Development
• Early Childhood Development
• Environment and Curriculum for Preschool
• Curriculum Design (Advanced)
• Infant-Toddler Learning and Environments
• Meaning and Development of Play
• Emotional Competence in Young Children(Advanced)
• Observation and Assessment Techniques
• Professional and Family Issues
• Multicultural Issues in Child Care
• Science and Math for the Young Child
• Children’s Literature
• Play and Emergent Literacy
• Foundations of Literacy
• Language Development (Advanced)
• History or Foundations of Early Childhood Education
• Young Children with Special Needs
• Stress, Violence and Young Children

Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid
Because Empire State College is a public college and part of the State University of New York, undergraduate tuition and fees are among the lowest in the region. In addition, online courses save you
the financial costs of travel and the prospect of losing time at work to attend traditional classes.

The per-credit charge for residents of New York is $207 ($536 for nonresidents). A number of state and federal financial aid programs
are available for qualifying students, such a scholarships, grants and federal loans. These include: Educational Incentive Program (EIP)

The Educational Incentive Program (EIP) provides financial awards to further your education if you are income-eligible and currently working in a registered or licensed childcare program. If you are in an early childhood degree program, you also may use the awards for any study in that degree program. However, even if you are not pursuing a degree, you are eligible for awards in early childhood related studies as well as foreign language studies.

To apply for an EIP award, call for an application form at 800 295-9616 or e-mail eip@tsg.suny.edu

For more information about scholarships, grants or loan programs at Empire State College, contact our
financial aid office:
• e-mail: FinancialServices@esc.edu
• phone: 800 847-3000
• online at: www.esc.edu/FinancialServices


For Further Information
To learn more about Empire State College’s early childhood studies program, please contact the representative nearest you:

Metropolitan Center
Marlene Hurley
718 667-6559
Marlene.Hurley@esc.edu

Hudson Valley Center
Diane Gal
845 708-7023,
Diane.Gal@esc.edu

Northeast Center
Efrat Levy
518 783-6203 ext. 5981
Efrat.Levy@esc.edu

Central New York Center
Heidi Nightengale
315 255-2794
Heidi.Nightengale@esc.edu

Genesee Valley Center
Barbara Pollock
585 224-3242
Barbara.Pollock@esc.edu

Laura Lee Jezsik
585 224-3269
Laura.Jezsik@esc.edu

Niagara Frontier Center
Jacqui Berger
716 686-7800
Jacqui.Berger@esc.edu

Center for Distance Learning
Joyce McKnight,
518 587-2100 ext. 2303
Joyce.McKnight@esc.edu