Five CAEP accredited education degree programs in New Mexico from Portales to Las Cruces are focused on teaching school buildings’ youngest pupils from birth-3. Located in the Mountain States, New Mexico is America’s fifth largest state with the sixth most cultural diversity and highest child poverty rate. The U.S. Census shows that 7 percent of New Mexico’s 2.08 million residents are five years old or younger, which means early childhood education is growing. Only graded “C” by Education Week, New Mexico needs ECE majors to improve its Early Head Start, Head Start, and FIT Early Intervention programs. Licensed early childhood educators can also practice in New Mexico’s 92 school districts, including the top-ranked Los Alamos Public Schools and Rio Rancho Public Schools. The BLS reports that New Mexico employs 2,250 preschool, 1,160 kindergarten, and 7,950 elementary teachers for median salaries from $31,500 to $58,660. Position yourself for teacher openings at these accredited education schools in New Mexico.
Eastern New Mexico University
College of Education and Technology
Opened in 1934 after the Great Depression as a junior college, Eastern New Mexico University as developed into a public, four-year coeducational teaching institute devoted to “Student Success” with 5,574 Greyhounds studying under President Steven G. Gamble atop 344 acres in the Roosevelt County suburb of Portales. Named America’s 356th most liberal college on Niche, ENMU is deemed the 180th best Western value and 496th best national university in Washington Monthly. The College of Education and Technology houses 15 CAEP accredited education degree programs in New Mexico that build students’ portfolios on Tk20 for an 86 percent placement rate.
Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education
Coordinated by Dr. Darron Smith, ENMU’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education is affordably priced at $2,958 for New Mexicans and $5,846 for non-residents each semester to develop the pedagogical expertise needed to promote young children’s potential. The 120-credit degree has two non-licensure tracks for Early Childhood Education or Family, Infant, and Toddler Studies as well as two licensure tracks for Birth-PreK or PreK-Grade 3. Future teachers take courses from human development to childhood exceptionalities with a 19:1 student-faculty ratio. Nine practicum credits are integrated at the on-site Child Development Center and off-campus partners like Valencia Elementary. Majors might also join Kappa Delta Pi, add TESOL Endorsement, and teach English abroad in Seoul.
Accreditation
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA)
Contact
Agriculture Building 107
1500 South Avenue K
Portales, NM 88130
(575) 562-2363
Darron.Smith@enmu.edu
New Mexico Highlands University
School of Education
Educating 3,765 Cowboys and Cowgirls across four schools, New Mexico Highlands University has grown from its 1893 founding by archaeologist Edgar Lee Hewett into a public, four-year teaching powerhouse in San Miguel County’s Las Vegas suburb. Recognized for America’s 100th best professors on Niche, NMHU was picked as the 154th best Western value and 468th top U.S. master’s institution by Washington Monthly. Presently billing $2,902 in-state and $4,569 out-of-state each term, the School of Education prepares teachers using a mentorship model with PhD-level faculty trained at Texas Tech, Oxford, New Mexico State, Iowa, and others.
Major in Early Childhood Multicultural Education (BA)
Admitting 100 percent of applicants with a high school diploma or GED, the Highlands Major in Early Childhood Multicultural Education (BA) is the least selective of accredited education degree programs in New Mexico for students to construct the pedagogical knowledge for teaching kids from age three to grade three. Within the 125-credit curriculum, the 68-credit major focuses on the best practices for creating culturally inclusive classrooms with diverse pupils. Fulfilling NMPED competencies, the courses dive into child growth, literacy, family collaboration, nutrition, and ethics with a foreign language, preferably Spanish. Lower-division courses can be transferred via the Santa Fe Community College Agreement. Educators also complete three practica and student teaching before the NMTA certification exam.
Accreditation
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA)
Contact
Education Center 114A
1005 Diamond Street, Box 9000
Las Vegas, NM 87701
(505) 454-3357
baca_geri@nmhu.edu
New Mexico State University
College of Education
Part of the Sunbelt Conference, New Mexico State University is a public, Hispanic-serving space-grant doctoral college endowed for $214.8 million with President Garrey Carruthers that’s engaging 18,497 Aggies and employing 1,219 academic staff upon its 900-acre Las Cruces campus and Doña Ana County extension. Declared America’s 377th best college for education on Niche, NMSU is ranked the 240th top public university and 251st best research institute nationwide by Forbes. The College of Education also placed 101st nationally on the U.S. News report for its 21 accredited education degree programs in New Mexico with 74 percent retention.
Bachelor of Science in Education in Early Childhood Education
Adhering to NAEYC standards, the Bachelor of Science in Education in Early Childhood Education at New Mexico State is directed by Dr. Elizabeth Cahill, a J. Paul Taylor Endowed Professor since 2005, to instill the classroom skills for instructing young children from birth to age eight. Starting the junior year, the Teacher Education Program (TEP) covers 48 credits in the 122-credit curriculum for courses like reading introduction, educational technology, nutrition, community collaboration, play therapy, and learning evaluation. Requiring a 2.5 GPA, the degree culminates with student teaching at Las Cruces Public Schools, including HeadStart at Alameda Elementary and Hillrise Elementary. Students could also volunteer at Myrna’s Children’s Village, attend the TEP Portfolio Workshop, and join Educators Rising.
Accreditation
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA)
Contact
MSC 3CUR, Box 30001
1220 Stewart Street
Las Cruces, NM 88003
(575) 646-5702
bcahill@nmsu.edu
https://ci.nmsu.edu/programs/concentrations/eced/ecedugrad/
Western New Mexico University
School of Education
Affiliated with prominent alums like Kenneth Wayne Brewer, Howie Morales, and Richard Angulo, Western New Mexico University is a public, four-year regional college that’s serving 3,500 Mustangs under President Joseph Shepard’s leadership upon 80 acres near Silver City’s Chloride Flats. Noted for New Mexico’s fifth best professors on Niche, WNMU is ranked the 179th best Western value and 596th top U.S. master’s institution by Washington Monthly. Given the 2005 Zia Best Practice Award, the School of Education employs experienced K-20 teachers who deliver 11 degrees aligned to the New Mexico Public Education guidelines for licensure with average freshman retention at 52 percent.
Bachelor of Arts in Education in Early Childhood & Family Support
Directed by Shannon Rivera, MEd, the Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.Ed.) in Early Childhood & Family Support is the first of WNMU’s two accredited education degree programs in New Mexico offering state licensure or non-licensure tracks for working with infants, toddlers, and school-aged children until eight years old. With practice in the five-star Child Development Center and off-campus, the 70-credit major develops the curriculum design skills for facilitating learning from a liberal arts perspective. Expect affordable courses to dive into play theory, family collaboration, program evaluation, disability assessment, confident parenting, and student assessment. Housed in the Felix Martinz-Allen Bacon Fall Building, the program could be accelerated with transfer credits from the A.A. in Early Childhood Education.
Bachelor of Science in Education in Early Childhood Care & Education
Aligned to NMTA exam content, the Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) in Early Childhood Care & Education is another competency-based, licensure option for pre-service teachers to learn the developmentally appropriate practices for instructing kids in PreK-3 settings. Mandating a 2.75 GPA or better, the 70-credit major builds on the general math and science core with courses like multicultural education, children’s literature, infant/toddler development, and emergent literacy. Priced at $3,033 for New Mexicans and $7,615 for non-residents each semester, this WNMU program includes practice teaching primarily in Cobre, Deming, Hatch, Silver City, and Lordsburg districts. Students may also earn the Stella Vaughan Scholarship, access SmartThinking, join Kappa Delta Pi, and study abroad with the Knowledge Exchange Institute.
Accreditation
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA)
Contact
1000 W. College Avenue
P.O. Box 680
Silver City, NM 88062
(575) 538-6307
ecp@wnmu.edu
http://soe.wnmu.edu/undergraduate/bs/
Early childhood education degrees are more versatile than you might think with in-need careers like preschool teacher, childcare director, Head Start director, early intervention specialist, Montessori school instructor, and first grade teacher being opened. Since 59 percent of U.S. households are dual-income, demand is booming for teachers cultivating young minds in quality childcare starting at six weeks old! If you’re interested in teaching the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic to enthusiastic, multicultural youngsters, check out these CAEP accredited education degree programs in New Mexico.
Related Resource: 20 Best Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education 2017-2018
