Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education

Return to: Academic Programs Offered at Pacific Oaks College

121 Credits

Locations

Pasadena, Online, San Jose, and off-campus locations

*The availability of off-campus locations depends on enrollment.

Program Overview

The bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education provides students with a fundamental knowledge base for educating and developing learning environments for young children from birth through age eight based on an understanding of the characteristics and needs of early childhood. The curriculum is based on a constructivist framework that is responsive to multiple sources of diversity in early childhood education. As actively engaged participants, students in the Early Childhood Education program learn about essential principles and theories of pedagogy and child development and engage in supervised learning experiences to integrate and apply their knowledge. Learning experiences throughout the curriculum are characterized by inquiry, self-reflection, collaboration with others, and problem-solving. Acknowledging multiple influences on child development and learning, the program emphasizes the importance of developing respectful and reciprocal relationships to create supportive and challenging learning environments. Coursework focuses on strategies of inclusion, issues of equity, social justice, and cultural competence.

The core curriculum for the bachelor’s degree programs in Early Childhood Education is designed to prepare students to design, implement, and evaluate curriculum as competent professionals in early childhood education. The curriculum focuses on providing a framework for understanding how young children learn; introducing students to the use of observation, documentation, and other assessment strategies in early childhood education; and affirming the role of family, school, and community on child development and learning. Key issues in diversity and assessment are integrated throughout the core curriculum to promote the application of course content to a pluralistic society and to educational settings that are increasingly characterized by widely varying levels of language proficiency, socio-economic status, (dis)ability, and other important variables that impact learning among young children. Students have the opportunity to further explore topics such as children’s literature, play in childhood, and working with infant and toddlers by completing additional coursework from a list of restricted electives. Each course within the program is designed to provide a transformative learning environment in which students examine course content from multiple points of reference, including their own cultural worldviews.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Define early childhood national trends, theory, and research-based educational and administrative practices for education.
2. Conduct observations for typically and atypically developing children in an early childhood setting. Utilize various assessment and inquiry tools and inquiry strategies to assess potential cultural bias and stereotypes.
3. Generate, implement and evaluate educational curricula for cognitive, social, and emotional needs of students in an early childhood classroom.
4. Design and implement outcome- based learning experiences using action research for the teaching and learning of students in an early childhood classroom.
5. Demonstrate critical thinking and creative processes through an ethical and professional decision-making working with children, families, communities and educational leadership in the early childhood field.

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

Application Requirements and Standards:

Factors and materials to be considered for admission will include:  

• Completed application and $55 application fee  
• Applicants must provide proof of the qualifying conferral of high school graduation (or the equivalent) or proof of successful completion of a minimum of 24 semester credits at a regionally accredited post-secondary institution. Proof of qualifying academic history must be provided in one of the following ways:  
  • Official high school transcript recognized by the U.S. Department of Education showing an earned high school diploma, 2.0 GPA or higher, and date of graduation. A copy of a high school diploma, if transcripts are not immediately available, can be submitted with a contingency that original transcripts will be on file prior to day 5 of the term/semester of entry. Financial aid will not be disbursed until the compliant documentation is received.  
  • Official college transcript with 24 credits of transferable credits with a grade of C or better.
  • Official Associate degree transcript from a regionally-accredited institution showing degree earned and date conferred  
  • Official college transcript from a regionally-accredited institution that contains the high school name and date of graduation  
  • Official NACES, ACREVS or AICE evaluation of an international diploma that contains the high school name and date of graduation  
  • High school equivalency completed through home schooling as defined by state law  
  • Official General Educational Development (GED) document. A copy of the student’s GED Certificate, or unofficial GED score issued by the state, can be submitted with a contingency that the Official GED document will be on file prior to day 5 of the term/semester of entry. Financial aid will not be disbursed until the compliant documentation is received.  
  • Official Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) document  
  • Official High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) document  
  • Official documentation showing a passing score on a state-authorized exam that the state recognizes as equivalent to high school graduation  

• Applicants must submit a resume showing three or more years of significant professional or life experience or an official transcript confirming 24 transferrable credits from a regionally accredited university.
• Personal statement

Applicants with a cumulative high school or undergraduate GPA below 2.0, or with less than 24 transferrable college credits and/or those without three years of significant professional or life experience are required to submit additional documentation:  

• One letter of support from someone (a non-relative) familiar with your ability to be successful in this program

• An additional essay three pages, double-spaced typed (approximately 500-750 words). In your essay, please answer the following question:  
  • What life and professional experience do you possess that would enable you to be successful in the Pacific Oaks classroom focused on application of experience to course content.  
  • Why it is important to you to study this discipline at a school that emphasizes social justice, cultural humility and respect for every individual (refer to the Mission and Vision statement of Pacific Oaks College).  

• Interview with a member of the Admissions Committee
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of Pacific Oaks College

Please note: Prior coursework will be evaluated as part of the Admissions process.

Graduation Requirements

Students are required to complete a portfolio and submit to Taskstream to be considered eligible for graduation. Subsequently, the student can submit the Petition for Degree Completion and fee to the Office of the Registrar the semester before they anticipate completing their degree requirements. Students must submit the application, settle all outstanding fees with the Student Finance Office, satisfy any deficiencies, and be in good standing in their program for the bachelor’s degree to be awarded.

Note: A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required for graduation.

Fieldwork Requirements

Fieldwork consists of observation and supervised clinical experience/teaching. Students may not complete their fieldwork at their current place of employment. Placements will be determined by the School of Education ECE core faculty in conjunction with the student.

Number of Admit Terms per Year:

Ground (6)

• Fall Sessions I & II
• Spring Sessions I & II
• Summer Sessions I & II

Online (6)

• Fall Sessions I & II
• Spring Sessions I & II
• Summer Sessions I & II

Program Requirements

A minimum of 121 semester credits is required to earn the Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Candidates in this program may transfer in up to 79 credits of approved courses from an accredited institution, taking the remaining 42 credits toward the degree at Pacific Oaks College. Candidates may also take all coursework at Pacific Oaks College to fulfill the requirements for the bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Candidates in this program will complete a Signature Assignment in each course, which will be graded in Taskstream by the course instructor. The compilation of all the signature assignments and other assignments will result in the creation of the final portfolio.

Prior to registering for classes, it is recommended that students meet with their Faculty Advisor to identify the appropriate classes to take and to review their progress toward degree completion.

All ground courses are considered Blended as each has an online component (Canvas and Taskstream).