Youngstown State University

Early childhood educators play an important role in our society—they are instrumental in the development of the next generation of scholars.

As an Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Intervention Specialist, you'll prepare to work with children pre-kindergarten up to third grade. The program combines curriculum content and professional education courses in order to balance the instruction you'll receive from your professors and the practical experience you'll gain from student teaching in an actual classroom.

You'll also complete a preclinical experience before student teaching. This involves working in a local school with a university faculty observing your teaching. It's a major component of your curriculum because education is more of a hands-on discipline; the real learning happens when you're in the field.