Passing the Praxis exam for PreK-3 teacher certification from the Bureau of Credentialing will begin with one of two CAEP accredited education degree programs in New Hampshire. Bordering Quebec in the Upper Northeast, New Hampshire is America’s fifth smallest state but has over 75,000 children under age five. New Hampshire’s $4.4 billion childcare industry offers ECE majors employment with programs like Concord Head Start, Strafford County Community Action, New Hampshire Family Voices, and Pittsfield Head Start. Along with 1,141 licensed childcare providers, New Hampshire has 83 school districts, including Bedford Schools and Portsmouth Schools, needing primary teachers. Education Week even ranked New Hampshire third nationally for children’s “Chance for Success.” If you’re looking to join the 2,820 preschool, 440 kindergarten, and 5,910 elementary teachers making average salaries of $30,100 to $56,390, consider the following early childhood education degrees in New Hampshire.
Keene State College
School of Professional and Graduate Studies
Part of the Little East Conference, Keene State College is a public, co-educational liberal arts COPLAC member that has grown a $29.7 million endowment since 1909 to currently enlighten 5,443 Owls under President Melinda Treadwell upon its 150-acre USNH campus in Cheshire County near Antioch. Declared America’s 279th most conservative college on Niche, KSC is ranked the 72nd best Northern university and 21st top public school by the U.S. News. The School of Professional and Graduate Studies has a 79 percent admission rate into its CAEP accredited education degree programs in New Hampshire that have an average net price of $18,899 annually.
Bachelor of Science in Education: Early Childhood Development Option
Chaired by Dr. Ellen Nuffer, Keene’s Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) offers three majors, including the Early Childhood Development Option to develop undergrads’ multidisciplinary content knowledge and skills for practicing in inclusive PreK-3 settings. Requiring a Tk20 account, the 52-credit major builds atop the liberal arts foundation with courses in early intervention, literacy, number systems, developmental delays, and childcare administration for 120 credits total. Training students to “Go Forth to Serve,” the curriculum integrates field practicum and student-teaching placements at schools like Fuller Elementary, Wheelock Elementary, and Keene Montessori. Majors might also volunteer with the Child Development Center’s Early Sprouts Program, join Kappa Delta Pi, and venture from Ecuador to Ethiopia.
Accreditation
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Contact
Rhodes Hall S136
229 Main Street
Keene, NH 03435
(603) 358-2298
enuffer@keene.edu
https://www.keene.edu/catalog/programs/detail/education-bs/
Plymouth State University
Department of Early Childhood Education
Affiliated with prominent alums like Jeffrey R. Howard, Joe Dudek, Laura Silva, and Chris Romano, Plymouth State University is a public, residential USNH constituent founded in 1871 that’s now endowed for $19.1 million in the Little East Conference to educate 4,200 undergrad Panthers in the White Mountains Region. Deemed America’s 244th most liberal college on Niche, PSU is ranked the 43rd best Northeastern value and 268th top U.S. master’s institution by Washington Monthly. The Department of Early Childhood Education confers one of the accredited education degree programs in New Hampshire with an average retention rate of 74 percent.
BS Early Childhood Education Degree
Presently priced at $11,300 for New Hampshirites and $19,760 for non-residents annually, the BS Early Childhood Education Degree at Plymouth is a four-year, full-time program with national CAEP recognition that’s preparing undergrads for meaningful careers supporting the optimal growth of young children. Directed by Dr. Mary Cornish, the 120-credit degree has a certification track with a full-year teaching apprenticeship or a non-licensed option with 300 practicum hours. Courses have a 16:1 student-faculty ratio for exploring inclusive teaching, childhood health, early childhood assessment, literacy development, and more. Undergrads spend significant time in the on-site Center for Young Children and Families (CYCF) with pupils under age five. Some are also selected for the Coos County Early Childhood Leadership Cohort.
Accreditation
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Contact
Rounds Hall 034
17 High Street
Plymouth, NH 03264
(603) 535-2449
mcornish@plymouth.edu
Business NH Magazine lauded early childhood education initiatives for returning $7 for each dollar invested by the New Hampshire government. That’s because research from Ready Nation proves that quality Pre-K teaching can raise youth’s likelihood for high school graduation by 31 percent and job success by 23 percent. Rather than just watching children play, ECE teachers promote the development of young children’s synapses through creative lessons. The hiring of early childhood staff increased by 88.5 percent between 1990 and 2007 in the “Granite State,” so benefit from job growth by entering these accredited education degree programs in New Hampshire.
Related Resource: 20 Best Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education 2017-2018
