Information
Introduction
Early Childhood Bachelors Degree (B.S.)
Overview
Students may complete a state-approved program to be eligible for licensure in Early Childhood Education Pre-Kindergarten/Primary (age 3 – Grade 3). The program of study includes both coursework and extensive field experiences in early childhood settings to enable students to integrate theory with teaching practice. Upon successful completion of the required courses, associated internships, and a professional portfolio demonstrating the program outcomes and the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices, Early Childhood majors will be eligible for certification in Pre-Kindergarten/Primary (age 3 - Grade 3).
Early Childhood Education with ESOL Endorsement
The College of Education offers a full ESOL Endorsement for all Early Childhood Education major graduates. The special requirements for ESOL endorsement through infusion are as follows: Successful completion of (1) ESOL 1 and 3, with a minimum grade of 70% or better on all sections of the ESOL Comprehensive Exam administered in the ESOL courses; (2) a 20-hour early ESOL field experience in ESOL 1; (3) a late ESOL field experience where students plan, implement, and evaluate lessons for one or more ESOL students over 10 days; and (4) an ESOL folder, containing all assignments and test results from ESOL 1 and 3, and all ESOL performance check-off sheets from other ESOL-infused courses that a student has taken.
Internship and Field Experiences
Students must have an overall USF GPA of 2.5 and a GPA of 2.5 in the combined Professional Core and Teaching Specialization prior to final internship and graduation. All students must also meet program and field experience requirements associated with the programs. The requirements include being available to participate in field experience placements during regular school hours. Students who withdraw from or who have unsatisfactory grades in the field experiences or internships must petition the Department’s Professional Standards Committee before they will be allowed to repeat them. Starting Fall 2011 semester, for Final Internship, Early Childhood Education students can intern in Hillsborough and Pasco Counties only. Guest internships are not allowed for students accepted into the Early Childhood Education program in Fall 2011 or later.