Early Elementary Education (PreK-4), B.S.

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The skills that students learn in the early childhood period are absolutely critical of their later success in elementary school. Students in our Early Elementary Education program will acquire the knowledge and skills they need to help young children excel in the Prekindergarten - Grade 4 classroom. To this end, the Early Elementary Education program at YCP offers coursework on the cognitive, social and emotional development of young children, language and literacy development of children from birth through age 9, teaching methods in the key content areas, how to address students with special needs, as well as strategies for English Language Learners. The Early Elementary Education program prepares students for licensure in Prekindergarten through Grade 4.

Requirements for Graduation:

To be eligible for graduation, students majoring in Early Elementary Education must complete all program requirements including a minimum of 120 credits, achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, and complete the General Education Requirements of the College. A minimum grade of 2.0 is required for First Year Seminar and all courses taken as part of Foundations. Courses used to complete General Education Requirements may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

The General Education Requirements of the college require students to successfully complete First Year Seminar, Foundations, Disciplinary Perspectives, and a Constellation. Students who enter the college with 30 credit hours completed will not take a First Year Seminar course and therefore must take an additional 3 credits for graduation. Transfer students that are awarded 60 or more credits upon acceptance to York College will not be required to complete a Constellation.

In addition, students majoring in Early Elementary Education must achieve a grade of 3.0 or higher in each of the following six courses – FCO105, EDU200, MAT115, MAT150, ECH210, and ECH220. Moreover, a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 must be achieved in order to student teach. Students seeking certification in Early Elementary Education will be required to have a minimum of 190 hours of Field Experience prior to the Student Teaching Semester and meet specific Certification Requirements listed in the Department of Education.

General Education Requirement

Constellation Requirement

The Constellation requirement is met when a student completes four courses from a minimum of three disciplines within the Constellation requirements. Transfer students that are awarded 60 or more credits upon acceptance to York College will not be required to complete a Constellation except for Education majors.

All education majors are required to declare the Children and Family constellation as part of their General Education requirements. This constellation provides coursework in areas that relate directly to the field of education such as child development, literacy development and English language learners. The content in these specific courses include competencies required to earn a Pennsylvania Teaching Certification. The courses include PSY 223 , SPE 200 , SPE 301 . and a choice from the list of courses within this particular constellation.