Early Childhood Education, B.S.

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The Early Childhood Education (ECE) undergraduate degree program at the University of Nevada, Reno is administered by the Department of Human Development, Family Science, and Counseling and leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. Graduates are eligible to apply for a Nevada Department of Education Early Childhood Teaching License (birth‐2nd grade).

The ECE program is committed to preparing teachers to provide a developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate education for young children, birth to age 8. ECE students will gain an appreciation for and rich understanding of child development and the importance of working reciprocally with families in programs for young children. ECE program faculty are firmly dedicated to the belief in every child’s potential, and in preparing teachers to recognize and promote this potential.

The program is designed to develop in students the professional standards and competencies described in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2019) position statement, Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. The themes of the standards are:

Child development and learning in context
Family-teacher partnerships and community connections
Child observation, documentation, and assessment
Developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate teaching practices
Knowledge, application, and integration of academic content in the early childhood curriculum
Professionalism as an early childhood educator

Through intentional, hands-on learning experiences in program coursework, students will build their capacity as effective early childhood educators.

ECE students are strongly encouraged to choose elective courses that bolster their knowledge of diversity, equity, and justice or to declare one of the Gender, Race, and Identity (GRI) minors.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

understand child development and learning from birth through age 8 in the contexts of family, culture, and society, and use this knowledge to make evidence-based decisions that support each child.
demonstrate knowledge of and value the diversity of families and use this knowledge to build partnerships between families, early childhood education settings, and the community.
demonstrate knowledge of and use relevant research and assessment tools to gather data, answer questions, inform instructional planning, and implement assessment practices that are ethically grounded. (QR)
describe and demonstrate developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate teaching practices in early childhood education.
understand the central concepts of academic content areas, including how young children learn in each content area, and apply an integrated understanding of this knowledge in early childhood settings. (CT)
demonstrate professionalism as an early childhood educator and professional oral and written communication on early childhood topics. (C)

Contact Information

The College of Education & Human Development’s Student Success Center (WRB 4002) provides advisement for the ECE major. Most ECE major courses are taken in the Department of Human Development, Family Science, and Counseling. Our student-centered faculty look forward to engaging with you.

Student Success Center

Phone: 775-784-4298

Website: https://www.unr.edu/education/advisement

Program Faculty

Website: https://www.unr.edu/education/faculty-and-staff/human-development-and-family-science

Graduation Requirements

Total Units: 120
Cumulative GPA: 2.0
Residency Requirement: 30 Upper-Division Units at University of Nevada, Reno
Upper Division Requirement: 40 Upper-Division Units

Key Assessments

All ECE Majors will complete a series of Key Assessments throughout the program as part of their coursework. These Key Assessments, alongside other learning opportunities in coursework, are designed to display students’ readiness for the field of Early Childhood Education. The Key Assessments are aligned to the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.

Additional Testing Requirements for Licensure

All ECE majors are prepared with the coursework necessary to pursue an Early Childhood Education Teaching License with the Nevada Department of Education. Majors intending to apply for ECE teacher licensure after graduation must meet additional testing requirements, as listed below.

Passing scores on the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Exam (or equivalent)
Passing scores on the Early Childhood Education (5025) Exam
Passing scores on the Education of Young Children (5024) Exam

The Praxis Core Exam (or equivalent) may be taken at any time during the program. It is a test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics. The subject exams (5025 and 5024) should be taken after completion of the ECE Advanced Coursework.

I. Core General Education Requirements (24-27 units)

NOTE: Refer to the Core Curriculum chapter of this catalog for information regarding the “Core English and Math Completion Policy .”

Students must meet all Core Objectives (CO1 through CO14). Courses satisfying Core Objectives are designated (e.g., CO9) in General Catalog curricula and course descriptions.

A. Composition & Communication; Critical Analysis & Use of Information (3-6 units) - CO1, CO3

ENG 101 - Composition I (3 units)
ENG 102 - Composition II (3 units) CO1, CO3
NOTE: See the Core Curriculum section for information on CO1&3 placement. Students who place in ENG 102 are not required to complete ENG 101.

B. Quantitative Reasoning (3 units minimum) - CO2

Refer to the Core Curriculum chapter for a list of approved CO2 courses; MATH 120 is the minimum requirement.

MATH 120 - Fundamentals of College Mathematics (3 units) CO2

C. Physical & Natural Phenomena (6 units minimum) - CO4, CO4L

Refer to the Core Curriculum chapter for a list of approved CO4 and CO4L courses. The program recommends the following two CO4L courses.

GEOL 137 - The Geology of You (3 units) CO4L
NUTR 121 - Human Nutrition (3 units) CO4L

D. Cultures, Societies, & Individuals (3 units) - CO6

SOC 101 - Principles of Sociology (3 units) CO6

E. Artistic Composition, Interpretation, & Expression (3 units) - CO7

Refer to the Core Curriculum chapter for a list of approved CO7 courses . Choose any from the approved list.

F. History & Culture; Constitution (6 units) - CO5, CO8

CH 201 - Ancient and Medieval Cultures (3 units) CO5 OR
CH 202 - The Modern World (3 units) CO5
AND
CH 203 - American Experiences and Constitutional Change (3 units) CO5, CO8

II. ECE Foundations (21 units)

Foundational courses provide students with the background needed to be successful in upper division coursework. Several of these courses are prerequisites for later requirements.

EDU 205 - Early Foundations in Mathematics (3 units)
EDU 207 - Exploration of Children’s Literature (3 units)
HDFS 201 - Lifespan Human Development (3 units)
HDFS 202 - Introduction to Families (3 units)
HDFS 204 - Child Guidance and Parenting (3 units)
HDFS 232 - Diversity in Children (3 units)
HDFS 250 - Early Childhood Education (3 units)

III. Advanced Program Requirements (54 units)

COM 412 - Intercultural Communication (3 units) CO10, CO11, CO13
ECE 275 - Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy in ECE (3 units)
ECE 492 - Student Teaching Seminar in ECE (1 unit)
ECE 493 - Supervised Internship in Early Childhood Education (1 to 12 units) CO14
NOTE: ECE 493 is taken in the senior year, 4 units in the fall semester and 4 units in the spring semester, for a total of 8 units.
EDEL 443 - Methods for Teaching PK-8 Science (3 units)
EDEL 453 - Methods for Teaching PK-8 Social Studies (3 units)
EDRL 300 - Language Arts and Literature PK-3 (3 units)
EDSP 471 - Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education (3 units)
EDSP 476 - Curriculum & Intervention ECSE: Birth-3 (3 units)
EDSP 477 - Curriculum & Intervention in ECSE: Ages 3-8 (3 units)
HDFS 391 - Introduction to Research (3 units) CO9, CO12
HDFS 428 - Preschool Curriculum I (3 units)
HDFS 429 - Advanced Preschool Curriculum II (3 units)
HDFS 431A - Advanced Human Development: Infancy (3 units)
HDFS 431B - Advanced Human Development: Childhood (3 units)
HDFS 435B - Child Socialization: A Systems Perspective for IETP Students (3 units)
HDFS 438 - Children and Families in a Multi-Ethnic Society (3 units) CO10, CO13

IV. Required Program Electives (18-21 units)

ECE majors are strongly encouraged to take 18-21 units in Gender, Race, and Identity (GRI) or related diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice coursework or to declare a dual major or minor offered by GRI for their required program electives. Majors may also choose to add coursework or a minor in Developmental Disabilities or Human Development and Family Science for their required program electives. A list of optional courses to meet the Required Program Electives requirement appears below. Alternate coursework may be substituted for students transfering from another institution of higher education.

Please note: The variability in units required (18-21) exists to account for students who place directly into ENG 102 and thus need 21 units to meet the total units required for the degree.

COM 275 - Racism, Colonialism, and Communication (3 units) CO10
EDU 203 - Introduction to Special Education (3 units)
EDLE 350 - LGBTQ+ Identities and Schooling (3 units) CO10
OR
GRI 350 - LGBTQ+ Identities and Schooling (3 units) CO10
EDSP 432 - Serving Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families (3 units)
EDSP 472 - Typical and Atypical Development of the Young Child (3 units)
ENG 497B - Race and Gender in Coming-of-Age Narratives (3 units) CO10, CO12, CO13
ETS 150 - Race in Contemporary Life (3 units) CO10
ETS 251 - Theories of Race and Ethnicity (3 units) CO6, CO10
ETS 307 - Topics in Race and Racism (3 units) CO10
GRI 103 - Power, Identity, and Social Justice (3 units) CO6, CO10
GRI 201 - Narratives of Identity and Difference (3 units) CO10
GRI 216 - Thinking Sex and Gender (3 units) CO10
OR
HIST 216 - Thinking Sex and Gender (3 units) CO10
GRI 257 - Social Movements of Gender, Race, and Identity (3 units) CO10, CO12
GRI 344 - Social Movements and Collective Behavior (3 units) CO10, CO11
OR
SOC 345 - Social Movements and Collective Behavior (3 units) CO10, CO11
GRI 379 - Ethnic and Race Relations (3 units) CO10, CO13
OR
SOC 379 - Ethnic and Race Relations (3 units) CO10, CO13
GRI 424 - Race, Family, and Motherhood (3 units) CO10
OR
SOC 424 - Race, Family, and Motherhood (3 units) CO10
GRI 460 - Intersectionality and Social Justice (3 units) CO10, CO14
GRI 490 - Class, Race and Gender (3 units) CO10
OR
SOC 490 - Class, Race and Gender (3 units) CO10
KIN 360 - Disability Issues (3 units) CO10, CO12
HDFS 436 - Family Interaction (3 units) CO11
HIST 479 - Race and Ethnicity in American History (3 units) CO10, CO13
PSC 353 - Identity Politics in the United States (3 units) CO10
OR
WMST 353 - Identity Politics in the United States (3 units) CO10
WMST 101 - Introduction to Women’s Studies (3 units) CO6, CO10
WMST 300 - Genders, Cultures and Identities (3 units) CO10, CO13

V. Recommended Schedule

Full-time majors starting at the University of Nevada, Reno should plan to take an average of 15 units per semester to graduate with this degree in 4 years. Required Program Electives are integrated into the recommended schedule, noted as RPE.