Why an Early Childhood Education Program Might Be Right for You
Are early childhood education programs worth it?
A degree in early childhood education is useful for anyone who intends to work in early childhood settings. While not all childcare work requires degrees, the average yearly amount made by childcare workers who lack a degree is just $24,000. A bachelor’s degree, meanwhile, brings in anywhere from $48,000 to $60,000 per year. Additionally, if you want to help young children learn as much as possible then a degree in early childhood education is especially essential.
By 2031, 60,000 new jobs in the early childhood education field are expected to pop up and 120,000 existing positions are expected to open each year. As a result, the early childhood education field could use more educators with better credentials than just a secondary education or initial certificate. While those can provide a strong basis of prior knowledge for a degree, they rarely prove to be enough on their own.
By pursing a degree in early childhood education, you can experience professional development as you help with the early years of human development.
What degree is best for early childhood education?
Even once you have decided to pursue a degree in early childhood education, the question of what specific degree to get remains.
Individuals who graduate with an associate’s degree can work at daycares and some private institutions. These individuals tend to make $30,000 a year, on average, primarily handling basic day-to-day responsibilities and some teaching. Students learn basic language development and other elements of early child development with some assistance from associate level teachers but due to the level of the degree the extent to which you can contribute to their education is significantly limited.
A bachelor’s degree oftentimes brings in anywhere from $48,000 to $60,000 per year, as well as opportunities working in public, private, and charter schools at a kindergarten and elementary level. With a bachelor’s degree, you can create lesson plans, schedules, track progress of young learners and early achievers, help with mathematics education, and even work as a Childcare Center Director.
Obtaining a master’s degree can not only make you roughly $57,000 on average as a school counselor or psychologist, but other higher education opportunities are also open to you, giving you even more avenues for financial growth and more opportunities to help learners in their early childhood years.
The benefits of early childhood special education
In addition to all the above degree options, the area of early childhood special education is also worth exploring. While similar in many ways to standard early childhood education, this variation does come with its own unique expectations, making it a better fit for some individuals.
A bachelor's in early childhood special education tends to result in a salary of $60,000 on average, as well as opportunities for work at public, private, and charter schools. Master's level degrees are also offered by many institutions and provide similar benefits to a standard early childhood education master's degree, with obvious variations.
How to become an early childhood educator in Indiana?
The easiest way to become an early childhood educator in Indiana is through a degree program at Indiana Wesleyan University by visiting online.indwes.edu/ece.
One recent IWU early childhood education student says, “I enjoy the coursework through IWU and receive lots of great information as a kindergarten teacher that I am able to apply almost immediately in the classroom. I look forward to growing as a teacher!”
