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Early Childhood Education Degrees in Oklahoma

What is most important to you in your career choice? Are you looking for a career that allows you to make a major difference in society? Do you want to learn something new every day and build your skills throughout your career?

If you work well with young children, consider earning an early childhood educator degree and revolutionizing the future of Oklahoma education. This flexible degree gives you the freedom to work in many types of classrooms and schools.

Becoming an Early Childhood Teacher in Oklahoma

Every level of education has a separate license in Oklahoma, since teaching is a highly regulated field in the United States. If you want to teach preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary school, learn more about different options by contacting early childhood education schools in Oklahoma.

Each state is in different stages of implementing early childhood education research, but Oklahoma is ahead of the curve in many ways. The state was one of the first to fully fund four-year-old preschool for all students, regardless of the family’s income level (Hechinger Report, 2016). As a result, many Oklahoma cities are home to some of the highest ranked preschools in the United States. This is a major accomplishment given how much of Oklahoma is rural.

Are you ready to further the field of early education and help Oklahoma students learn even more?

Request information from early childhood teacher programs listed below.

Getting Your Early Childhood Education Degree in Oklahoma

The primary type of license for an early childhood educator permits you to teach and care for children aged birth through eight years.

However, to become fully licensed and able to work independently, you need a Bachelor’s degree. An Associate’s degree only allows you to work as an assistant while being supervised by a Bachelor’s-level teacher.

This process requires, on average, eight semesters of education. When you enroll at a college or university, you typically need to earn at least 30 credits in general academic subjects like mathematics, physical sciences, and social sciences. You can then take the Praxis exam at an approved testing site in Oklahoma.

If you get accepted to your institution’s teaching program, you may start taking teaching courses. The courses found below are commonly offered at Oklahoma schools.

Early Childhood Education Courses

  • Language Development and Emergent Literacy
  • Teaching Reading in Primary Grades
  • Assessment and Intervention Practices
  • Guidance of the Young Child
  • Child Psychology
  • Teaching Individuals with Disabilities
  • Educational Assessment

While you may spend much of your time memorizing terminology, teaching techniques, and important names in education history, you also need to test your skills in Oklahoma classrooms. During your four years in school, you should observe and work with students from every part of your licensing age range. This works out to over 500 hours of classroom time.

The ultimate goal of your degree is licensure. The Oklahoma State Department of Education requires that all applicants pass the relevant Praxis II exams and pass a background check. Although you may not begin teaching until you have a license, you may be offered a job prior to licensure. This makes it even more important to make a strong impression in your classroom rotations.

Now that you know more about how to become an early childhood teacher, take the first step to a degree now.

Getting in touch with top early childhood education schools is the first step.

Working as an Early Childhood Educator in Oklahoma

By the time you graduate, you should be well aware of which parts of Oklahoma are suffering from teacher shortages. Depending on how flexible you are with your geographic location, you may have quite a few employment options to evaluate.

It’s important to make the most of your connections and your classroom hours by becoming an active part of the Oklahoma teaching community. Look into joining the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma and attending their networking and training events.

Through 2024, demand for preschool teachers may jump 8% in Oklahoma (O*Net, 2016). Job openings for elementary school teachers may swell 5% during this time (O*Net, 2016).

On average, Oklahoma preschool teachers earn $31,180 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). Statewide, the average income for an elementary school teacher is $41,900 annually (BLS, 2016).

Get more information on Oklahoma teaching programs and decide which school is a good fit for you.

Learn more about getting an early childhood education degree by contacting Oklahoma colleges and universities.