New Early Childhood Studies Program Offered
SANBORN, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2008) — Niagara County Community College’s newest certificate program -- Early Childhood Studies -- was developed out of a need for early childhood teachers in Niagara County to have a place to go to obtain additional early childhood education.
NCCC Human Services Professor and Early Childhood Studies Program Coordinator Carol June Rogers said the need became apparent to her over time.
“People would come to us and tell us that they wanted to work with young children, but our early childhood classes were unwittingly “hidden” within our Human Services curriculum. These people weren’t seeing a spot for themselves at first glance. Now it’s very obvious.”
The 31-credit hour certificate is designed to prepare students for a career in early childhood education by providing them with a strong foundation in early childhood values and knowledge. It is structured to provide a solid understanding of how young children learn and develop in the context of diverse families and communities through course assignments and field observations.
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to secure employment with local child care centers. "There’s a huge market for certificate holders,” Rogers said.
“We have heard from many child care centers in the area, particularly the larger centers, who have ensured us that they will ‘snatch up’ every qualified graduate we can produce.
“In today’s economy, both parents are often working, purely out of necessity, and good quality childcare is more important than ever. We want to increase the amount of quality early childhood care that’s available in Niagara County,” Rogers continued.
Early childhood students may also opt to continue their studies in the early childhood field.
“The certificate program can be looked at as the first rung in the early childhood education career ladder,” Rogers said. Students can transfer seamlessly into an associates degree program in Human Services or Liberal Arts and then, if they choose, go on to complete a four-year degree in early childhood education and become a certified teacher or enter the human services/social work field and focus on child and family issues.
“Studies have shown that kids who have high-quality teachers in early childhood do better in school and throughout their lives,” Rogers said. “Our goal is to create more high quality early childhood programs here in Niagara County by giving child care workers the knowledge and credentials they need to be successful. It is our hope that this program will eventually improve the lives of young children in Niagara County.”
