Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in Iowa

If you think it would be rewarding to pursue a career teaching young children in the Midwest, you may be interested in researching accredited education degree programs in Iowa. There are only a total of four Iowa colleges that are nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Of those four, only the following two schools offer degree programs featuring early childhood education specializations:

Graceland University

Edmund J. Gleazer School of Education

The Edmund J. Gleazer School of Education is an integral part of a private liberal arts institution with a history dating back to 1895. The school offers online and traditional face-to-face education degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The school offers curriculum that’s compatible with the Christian worldview embraced by its sponsoring denomination, which is the Community of Christ.

US News & World Report ranked Graceland University at #113 on their list of best regional universities in the Midwest. Graceland’s online Master’s degree program in education was a past winner of the United States Distance Learning Association’s best practices award.

Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with an Endorsement in PreK-3 Early Childhood

If you think it would be meaningful to help little ones get their educations off to a great start, Graceland University’s elementary education degree program may be of interest to you. Graceland offers one of the only accredited education degree programs in Iowa that would allow you to specialize in teaching children in the earliest stages of their academic careers. This technology-focused program is available through Graceland University’s Independence, Missouri, Campus.

As part of this program, you would also receive a classroom endorsement for teaching Kindergarten through sixth grade. You could begin to gain hands-on public and private school teaching experience starting as early as your sophomore year.

Successful completion of this education degree program prepares you for taking the examinations the state of Iowa requires their teachers to pass. After graduation from the program, you would become eligible to earn your teaching license by achieving passing grades on your exams. After you’ve graduated from Graceland University, staff would allow you to return to the school to complete coursework for other endorsements if you wish.

Accreditations

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Iowa State Department of Education

Contact

Graceland University

Edmund J. Gleazer Jr. School of Education

1401 W. Truman Rd.

Independence, MO 64050

Phone: 816.833.0524, ext. 4746

Email: sfreeze1@graceland.edu

http://www.graceland.edu/education/under-endorsements

Northwestern College

Department of Education

Northwestern College is a private, reformed Christian institution with a history dating back to 1882. The Department of Education is one of Northwestern College’s largest and most popular academic departments out of a total of 23. The department confers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

US News and World Report ranked Northwestern College at #6 on their list of best regional colleges in the Midwest.

Education – Elementary with Early Childhood Education Endorsement

If you think you might want to specialize in early childhood education, Northwestern College offers an accredited education degree program in Iowa that might be of interest to you. To graduate from this program, you would declare your major in elementary education and work towards meeting the certification requirements for the early childhood education endorsement. If you’re already certified in elementary education, you may qualify to enroll in the online version of the class.

Successful completion of this degree program would empower you to take the education exams required by the state of Iowa and to earn your Iowa state teaching license.

Accreditations

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact

Northwestern College Department of Education

101 Seventh Street SW

Orange City, IA 51041

Professor Laura Heitritter, Department Chair

712-707-7035

laura@nwciowa.edu

https://www.nwciowa.edu/education/programs/early-childhood-education-endorsement

Either of these degree programs could help you launch or further a meaningful teaching career. Experts at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipate that employment opportunities for preschool teachers will grow at a rate of about seven percent through the year 2024, and that candidates with bachelor’s degrees will have better opportunities than less educated candidates will. If a teaching career appeals to you, it would be beneficial to enroll in either of the accredited education degree programs in Iowa mentioned above.