Elementary and Early Childhood Education
About the EECE Department
The Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education (EECE) offers undergraduate, graduate, and advanced certificate programs leading to New York State certification in Early Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 2), Childhood Education (Grades 1-6), Literacy Education, and Bilingual Education. These programs prepare teachers to support learning and development within the family, culture, and community contexts of students and schools.
The mission of the EECE Department is translated into actionable goals. Faculty members of the EECE Department engage in reflective practice by reviewing:
- Data to assist in the recruitment and retention of diverse student populations and faculty;
- Program and course content to ensure that aspects of diverstiy, equity, and inclusion are seamlessly intertwined with learning standards to ensure that other diverse perspectives, voices, and ways of knowing are represented in the curriculum;
- Entry, progression, and completion criteria and policies are demonstrative of inclusive practices;
- Clinical placements to ensure that teacher candidates have diverse student teaching experiences.
Responsible training for work in the areas of elementary and early childhood education requires that candidates, in addition to meeting their program’s academic requirements, also demonstrate appropriate professional behavior in all classroom, field, and professional settings. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to, interpersonal skills, professional judgment, ethical conduct, and academic integrity. In addition, candidates are expected to demonstrate oral and written communication proficiency, sensitivity to student issues, including those related to diverse backgrounds, practices, and beliefs, as well as the effective management of personal stress or adjustment difficulties. Candidates who fail to meet these personal and professional standards will be subject to review by their program faculty and/or the EECE Student Review Committee, and sanctions, such as dismissal from the program, may result. Students have the right to appeal, and should familiarize themselves with guidelines set forth in the Queens College Bulletin.
Important Note Regarding Certification
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Faculty in the department are committed to actively working against racism, discrimination, and bias in teaching and curriculum, and to prepare teachers to challenge and dismantle racist structures and systems in schooling. As faculty who teach in teacher preparation programs, we aim to create an inclusive departmental culture that recognizes the diversifying preK-6 student population. As such, we strive to prepare the teacher candidates who will create inclusive and caring classroom environments for students to learn and grow to become physically, socio-emotinally healthy and productive citizens.
Graduate Program Info Sessions
The EECE Department is offering Information Sessions for our Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 2) and in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6).
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- Interested in applying to one of our MAT programs? Attend one of our upcoming information sessions!
Advisement
Department Chair
Announcements
- Interested in applying to one of our MAT programs? Attend one of our upcoming information sessions!
- Dr. Ted Kesler and Dr. Marcela Ossa Parra are new co-editors of Talking Points, a teacher practitioner peer-reviewed journal by NCTE.
- QC CT Student Cohort: Watch these videos featuring the unique perspectives of a group of seven Queens College TCs, known as the “CT Cohort,” who participated in Dr. Grace Pai and Michael Perrone’s research on instilling Computational Thinking language into math education practices!
- Graduate Funding Opportunities: Teach Grant information
- Our EECE Department uses Anthology Portfolio for accreditation and certification purposes.