Career Colleges » New Jersey » Education and Teaching » Early Childhood Education
Looking for accredited career colleges, technical schools, and universities in New Jersey offering Early Childhood Education degrees. Childcare workers are in consistent demand. You need early childhood education and day care center management courses.
Attending a New Jersey college will put you in close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, two world-class cities. New Jersey itself is a much more affordable alternative to New York, with it's relatively peaceful and crime-free towns and small cities. But New Jersey is not all city life: even today, nearly a quarter of the state is farmland, producing the renowned Jersey tomatoes as well as table vegetables and fruits of all kinds. Time out of the classroom can be well spent at New Jersey's 127 miles of Atlantic coastline, with some of the broadest beaches on the Eastern Seaboard.Early childhood education degrees qualify teachers for areas such as pre-school, kindergarten, and elementary education. The education children receive in their early years is recognized as making a significant contribution to their capacity for subsequent learning. It is important that this key phase of a child's development is entrusted to a skilled professional. Teachers in this field require strong communications skills, patience, and the sound grasp of theory and classroom practice that early childhood education degrees confer.
The general requirement for teaching in US public schools is a bachelor's degree and a teaching license. (Private schools are exempt from these requirements but are still able to require their teachers to hold qualifications.) Different US states may vary in their requirements for award of a teaching license. They all, however, require at least a bachelor's degree, successful completion of a teaching program, and supervised classroom experience. Once you have achieved your license, you will probably have to undertake continuing education to have it renewed. Early childhood education degrees are offered at different levels, but a bachelor's degree will give your career a solid foundation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics records (for 2004) 1.5 elementary school, 431,000 pre-school, and 171,000 kindergarten teachers. Growth in this area is expected overall to mirror average job growth in all areas. Different regions and subjects will however display different growth trends. Federal expenditure on education has shown marked increases, and graduates of early childhood education degree programs will find ample opportunities to move into fulfilling jobs in early education.