Early Childhood & Elementary Education
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
Shape the future by educating young children.
How do you capture young hearts and minds and inspire them to reach their potential? Nazareth’s unique multiple certification program prepares you to apply for teacher certification in three different areas of general and special education, to better prepare you for the classroom and to give you more employment options. In addition to earning certifications in early childhood and childhood education, you’ll become qualified to teach students with disabilities in pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. You’ll graduate with two full academic majors, one in inclusive early childhood/childhood education and one that you choose in the liberal arts and sciences. The childhood education degree program provides superb career services support and boasts a high job placement rate.
Highlights
3 certifications prepare you to teach all students in preschool-6th grade and students with disabilities in grades 7–12.
Unique to Nazareth, most courses are taught in local schools with time with students to apply your learning.
You'll be placed in a variety of settings, including urban, rural, and suburban schools.
4+1 option: bachelor’s and master’s in 5 years
Career Paths
- Elementary teacher
- Special education teacher
- Early childhood intervention specialist
- Kindergarten teacher
- Museum educator
- Preschool educator
- UPK teacher
Field Experiences
- Ivan Green Primary School (East Irondequoit)
- Bernabi Elementary School (Spencerport)
- Leary Elementary School (Rush-Henrietta)
- Craig Hill Elementary School (Greece)
- Greece Community Early Learning Center
- Rochester City School District School 58
Employers
- Schools throughout Monroe County, including in the Rochester, Fairport, Greece, Rush-Henrietta, West Irondequoit, Victor, and Brighton school districts
- Schools across New York state, including in the Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, and downstate areas
- Schools in other states, including Maryland and Virginia
- Early-childhood and childhood agencies throughout New York state, such as Hillside Foundation of Agencies
Graduate School
After graduation, continue your professional advancement at Nazareth and earn a master's degree:
3
Earn 3 certifications in addition to your degree: early childhood education (birth–grade 2), childhood education (grade 1–6), and teaching students with disabilities (pre-K–12)
Get Hired
We often receive requests from districts for Nazareth alumni. Teaching is a high-demand field, and typically our graduates enter the profession while completing their graduate work or choose to complete their graduate degrees before teaching.
$4,000
Our SPARK Grant provides up to $4,000 for you to pursue internships, research, and study abroad. SPARK details »
Scholarships and Grants
- Want to teach math or science in a high-need school? See: Nazareth's Noyce STEM Teacher Scholarship
- New York state residents from groups historically underrepresented in the teaching field who enroll full-time in this degree program and are committed to teaching in high-need urban schools can apply to Nazareth for a Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) scholarship.
Double Major Options
Unlike schools with more limited options, Nazareth offers an inclusive early childhood/childhood education double major in many areas of the liberal arts and sciences.
- American Studies
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Communication and Media
- Community Youth Development
- Dance Studies
- English
- French
- International and Global Studies
- History
- Italian
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Social Science
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Theatre Arts
Become a Changemaker
Develop the skills, knowledge, and disposition necessary to contribute to the ever-changing field of education. Your site-based coursework and clinical experiences will support you in becoming an educator who connects theory to practice and makes a lasting impact on the lives of your students.
Program Director
Alumni Spotlight
"The INCH program makes sure you have deep connections with your peers, professors, and multiple schools throughout the Rochester area. Nazareth's small cohorts truly make it a space where you can connect and uplift peers throughout teaching experiences. The professors encourage your success through important conversations, on-site observations, debriefs after long student teaching days, and even interview prep. Nazareth ensured my preparedness by introducing me to multiple special education classroom settings, where I grew my love for working with students with disabilities. From our classes and clinical experiences, I was able to learn how to support all students in inclusion and success."
— Lucy Rutherford ’25, ’26G teaches students with autism spectrum disorder in kindergarten/first grade in Churchville-Chili Central School District.