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Early Childhood Education Degrees in Arkansas

When the community wants to improve outcomes and get the highest return on its investment, few programs are as beneficial as early childhood education. Providing early education to children of all backgrounds and family income levels has been demonstrated to minimize the learning gap later in life, lead to improved educational outcomes, and strengthen quality of life in adulthood.

With an early childhood education degree, you may teach children from preschool through third grade in Arkansas.

Becoming an Early Childhood Teacher in Arkansas

If you have always wanted to work in education but the time was never right, this is the time to invest in your future and in the future of your community.

Get in touch with early childhood education schools below for more information.

Arkansas has put in a lot of effort to strengthen early childhood education accessibility programs and make this a priority throughout the state. The Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education runs low-income programs that equalize schooling opportunities for children.

With upcoming state elections, experts have noted that candidates are likely to focus on increasing the budget for early childhood education, due to its ability to significantly pay off in the long run for individual children and the state of Arkansas as a whole (Arkansas Business, 2016).

The work you put into early education now can create a better educated, safer, and more prosperous Arkansas.

Learn how to become an early childhood teacher by reaching out to Arkansas teaching programs today.

Getting Your Early Childhood Education Degree in Arkansas

Early education is an interesting combination of teaching skills, educational research, and childhood development. Not only must you be an expert in evidence-based teaching, you must understand the factors that influence childhood development through age eight.

For that reason, you may want to start with a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. This 120-credit degree can generally be completed in four years. It offers multiple teaching experiences, including a semester-long student teaching assignment.

With a degree from an accredited college or university, you may earn a license that allows you to teach preschool through third grade.

Your curriculum is determined by the priorities of your school, as well as Arkansas standards.

The commonly required classes listed below explore how children learn, what they should learn, and how you can create an ideal learning environment.

Course Options in Arkansas

  • Educational Technology
  • Childhood Development
  • Children’s Literature
  • Instructional Strategies, Models, and Assessment
  • Curriculum Development
  • Children, Family, and Community Relations
  • Foundations of Reading Instruction
  • Individualizing Programs
  • Early Literacy
  • Methods and Materials in Language Arts/Social Studies/Math/Science
  • Classroom Management

Since this educational specialty is in such high demand, there are dozens of federal, state, and private scholarship programs that may help you reduce your expenses. Many four-year colleges and universities have early childhood education scholarship programs. If you do take out student loans, you may be able to have them forgiven by working in a low-income or high-risk area.

After you complete your Bachelor’s degree, it’s time to finish the rest of the licensing process. Licensing is regulated by the Arkansas Department of Education. You must pass the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching exam to get your early childhood teaching license.

Putting in plenty of hard work and research at this stage of your education can strengthen the teaching field as a whole. The more children learn and the more they develop a love for learning at an early age, the better they tend to do in later grades. This benefits elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Children who attend preschool may reap the benefits for decades, showing you just how important your daily work truly is.

Ready to jump in and get involved?

Contact local schools for more information on degree options.

Working as an Early Childhood Educator in Arkansas

With your teaching license and early childhood education degree, you may work in many different educational settings in Arkansas. Preschool is a popular option, as are 4-year-old kindergarten classes and 5-year-old kindergarten classes.

You may also teach first, second, or third grade at a public or private elementary school. As you build your knowledge and abilities in this area, you may decide to further your education and become an administrator or curriculum developer.

Outside of the traditional classroom setting, you can also work as a parent educator and foster connections between schools, community resources, and at-risk families.

The need for teachers is growing steadily in Arkansas. The demand for preschool teachers is expected to grow 11% between 2014 and 2024 (O*Net, 2016). At the same time, job openings for elementary school teachers may increase 5% (O*Net, 2016).

The average salary for an Arkansas preschool teacher is $30,330 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). Elementary school teachers earn an average of $45,120 annually (BLS, 2016).

Find out how you can improve education in Arkansas and pursue a career you love.

 Request information from early childhood education programs in Arkansas below.