Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in Tennessee

Prospective students who hope to teach or work with younger children in early childcare centers should investigate accredited education degree programs in Tennessee. These programs offer comprehensive training in early child development and teaching competencies for core subjects including math, social studies, and reading. An emphasis on early literacy is present in many curriculums which prepare future teachers to be proficient and flexible to adjust to the unique needs of diverse classrooms and children. Each of the following education programs are accredited by a recognized agency; this accreditation is evidence of a program’s adherence to established professional standards and sound educational practices.

Tennessee State University

College of Education

Tennessee State University’s (TSU) College of Education seeks to train professionals at the graduate and undergraduate level who are competent and caring. They offer students research opportunities, global educational experiences, and mentoring relationships with faculty in order to support student growth in areas of cultural competency and service. The college’s commitment to diversity is reflected in its curriculums which emphasize knowledge, understanding, and responsibilities of living within a multicultural society. Teaching programs effectively prepare candidates for having their own classrooms through the Ready 2 Teach co-teaching residency model. This model allows students to spend a year within classrooms, observing, assisting, and co-teaching.

Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Pre K-4

This degree, like other accredited education degree programs in Tennessee, has a special emphasis on the earliest stages of childhood development. While graduates may become licensed to teach pre-kindergarten through fourth grade with this degree, the curriculum especially focuses on the needs and growth of children from birth through age seven. The faculty affirm the importance of these years to the overall success of a child in areas of physical and emotional growth, sensory development, thinking and communication skills, emotional control, and interactions with varying environments. While the program provides the necessary technical skills for early childhood teaching, it also equips candidates to be effective at collaborating with parents or other care providers to advocate and create a healthy home environment for their future students.

Accreditations

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE)
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)

Contact

118 Clay Hall Education Building

3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard

Nashville, TN 37209

(615)963-5451

COE@tnstate.edu

http://www.tnstate.edu/coe/

Vanderbilt University

Peabody College

Founded as a one-room schoolhouse in 1785, Peabody has a long history of preparing leaders and teachers in education and human development. Peabody has been ranked first by US News and World Report on their Top 10 Graduate Schools list five times. Their mission is to enhance the human condition, and they do so by equipping skilled researchers, modeling service to communities and schools, and engaging with outside leaders and policymakers. Peabody College stands out from other accredited education degree programs in Tennessee due to its outstanding faculty which includes 13 American Education Research Association fellows, three National Academy of Education fellows, and one Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers recipient.

Bachelor’s in Early Childhood

This undergraduate degree prepares students to be licensed as pre-kindergarten through fourth grade teachers in the state of Tennessee. Students who are studying this major must also enroll in child development, a second major offered by Peabody College. This well-rounded educational plan gives candidates the opportunity to work inside or outside of the school system. With 500 hours of classroom experience and observation that takes place before student teaching even begins, students are well-equipped with the experience to succeed in their own classrooms. Peabody College offers on-campus experiential classrooms, like the Susan Gray School, for teaching candidates to begin acquiring experience as early as their second semester.

Ph. D in Early Childhood Special Education

Peabody’s doctorate degree in early education follows the Master-Apprentice doctoral model wherein candidates work closely with faculty to develop research skills and the professional practices and dispositions necessary to their chosen career field. The degree prepares students to be in leadership or faculty roles in universities, service agencies, and research facilities. Research and teaching are the primary focuses, and students must complete teaching experiences in college classrooms. The special education degree prepares teachers and researchers to improve services to infants, toddlers, and young children with developmental delays in cognition, communication, social and motor skills, and adaptive behaviors. Applicants who are accepted in the program are offered up to five years of funding, and qualified students may apply for additional research fellowships and grants.

Accreditations

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
CACREP (Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs)
CEC (Council for Exceptional Children)
NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)

Contact

230 Appleton Place

Nashville, TN 37203

(615)322-8407

Peabody.admission@vanderbilt.edu

https://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/

Both undergraduate and graduate early education programs must understand and teach the best methods for supporting young children through crucial stages of development. These accredited education degree programs in Tennessee provide the foundation that candidates need to become empathetic teachers who understand their impact in facilitating social and emotional health for their students.