Early Childhood Education, BS

The BS in Early Childhood Education is designed to prepare students to serve as early childhood general and special education teachers in schools and community-based settings.  The program focuses on providing students with knowledge and skills in teaching young children and the education necessary to address and impact change within the early childhood system. 

The BS in Early Childhood Education offers two concentrations. Both concentrations will prepare students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the program to school and community job settings. Students who pursue the program’s teaching concentration will possess the knowledge and skills to serve as licensed early childhood teachers in both public and private settings working with general education students (PreK-3^rd grade) and special education students (birth through age five). Students will be exposed to multiple and varied teaching situations in which they will work with children in a variety of settings.  Students will be trained to assess student progress and plan for the needs of diverse learners. Students who pursue the non-licensure concentration will also be prepared to work with young children birth to age eight with diverse needs as well as serve in leadership capacities, especially in the private sector.

Additional Criteria for Admission to the BS in Early Childhood Education:

• Complete 60 hours of college work and have obtained an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Early Childhood Development.
• Have a minimum overall college Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 when completing the AAS in Early Childhood Development.
• Prepare a portfolio with a selection of coursework from the AAS in Early Childhood Development
• Submit transcripts of all college coursework.

Students seeking admission to the ECSE and PreK-3 Licensure concentration must:

• Meet standardized test requirements on the Virginia Communication and Literary Assessment (passing score is 470 composite in writing and reading) tests.
• Complete at least two semesters at Longwood.
• Satisfy an academic GPA requirement either by having an overall GPA of at least 3.0 (for immediate eligibility for admission to Teacher Preparation) or, if the prospective teacher candidate has an overall GPA ranging from 2.5 to 2.99, s/he will be put on a waitlist by the Office of Teacher Preparation (OTP) and admitted in descending GPA order such that the cohort average GPA remains at 3.0 for that semester. Longwood University requires that the cohort average GPA of students being admitted to Teacher Preparation in any given semester be at least 3.0 (overall); the OTP will admit as many other students as mathematically possible while maintaining the cohort’s average GPA at 3.0.
• Obtain two recommendations from program faculty and complete a background check.